Is the word application really to long to say? RE: Iphone advertisement

[RB TexLa]

It was as if the words applications and application are too long to pronounce. I understand when children shorten words to make it easier for them to communicate but these advertisements are by adults and I assume targeting adults.

[GodlyDemocrat]

1. LOL

Kick and rec

[sandnsea]

2. Did you watch Bill Maher last week?

He was ranting about the shortening of the English language. Or was it Family Guy. Or The Simpsons. Don't recall.

Not a very original complaint in any event.

Does it bother you when people say tv instead of television too?

[RB TexLa]

5. No, I did not watch Bill Maher

[realisticphish]

3. "App" has been an abbreviation for application for years

this is just the first time it's been used in an advertisement

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. We geeks have known that for decades

I know

[Luminous Animal]

19. I'm friends with several geeks at Apple that integrate these "Apps"

and they find "Apps" annoying.

[DireStrike]

4. Yep, it is.

In conversational english, shorter > longer.

The commercial isn't conversation, but they're going for that feel.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. There's an app for that.

It abbreviates everything you text just in case you accidentally lapse and type in a long version. :D

[Sinti]

8. It's just a little more geek-speak entering the lexicon

Think of it as an expansion of the language, as both words are used and will continue to be. The IT (information technology) field is full of these things, B2B, ROI, TCO, RC... at least they don't use an alphabet soup like the military, yet. In the ad they're probably trying to make it roll off the tongue more fluidly, so you will repeat it to your friends - cadence is important also. :)

[On the Road]

9. They are Typically Referred to as "Apps"

and calling them "applications" would be confusing and sound out of touch.

Shortening is great. Too many businesses try to cram way to many syllables into their product vocabulary.

[DavidDvorkin]

10. Hmm. To unrec or not to unrec?

[Posteritatis]

17. Be civilized and say recommend or un-recommend, knave! paren no text close paren

[DavidDvorkin]

18. O.K.

[Statistical]

28. +1. Snarky but +1.

[ecstatic]

34. That is the question... I admit, I chuckled at the OP but am

still tempted to unrec for some reason. But then again I did chuckle. So I guess I just won't weigh in at all with a vote.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. OP?

What this OP you speak of?

[DavidDvorkin]

45. The op about the app.

[tammywammy]

11. You would hate my job

There's a secret language of acronyms. I have a 155 page decoder book.

[Rude Dog]

12. "App" for "application" has been part of the parlance for years.

Or have you never heard of a "killer app"?

[RB TexLa]

14. I try to speak properly.

[Codeine]

29. Bully for you. nt

[Statistical]

30. Of course you say things like...

Television vs TV
Automatic Teller Machine vs ATM
Internet Browser vs Browser
Personal Identification Number vs PIN
Automobile vs Car
etc...

[RB TexLa]

31. I try to speak properly. I do fail at times in life.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

39. I don't drink with you...

[RB TexLa]

40. Don't worry, that will never be a concern.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

13. "There's an app for that" is much catchier than "There is an application available to process that

request"

[Luminous Animal]

15. I love this! I just said the same thing to my 19 year old daughter two nights ago.

We are devolving to baby talk.

[Occulus]

32. It's been around for longer than your daughter has been alive.

No, really. It has, and it's just fine.. We also abbreviate a whole hell of a lot of other things, and again, have done for those things for longer than your daughter has been alive:

VCR
Phone
TV
Fridge
RPG (role-playing game)

Just off the top of my head. Abbreviations are not "baby-talk".

[Posteritatis]

16. Imminent death of the English language predicted! (nt)

[MineralMan]

20. Yah, and they should always say advertisement, too,

instead of "ad." It should be "newspaper," too, instead of "paper."


Television commercials have never been about perfect English. They never will be.

[Obamanaut]

21. When people type "just sayin'", replacing the "g" with an apostrophe

does this save keystrokes?

Or do they dislike the letter "g"

[Codeine]

27. It's an accurate reflection of the way that phrase is normally spoken. nt

[Obamanaut]

38. So it's speakers AND typists who don't like the letter 'g'. nt

[Bluenorthwest]

22. Apple ads are symphonies of marketing tricks

aimed at those who think they are above marketing tricks. The word in question is just another method to engender furious brand loyalty in people who find brand loyalty to be a bad thing in most cases. It works like magic.

[Posteritatis]

35. Apple did not coin the term "app." (nt)

[MilesColtrane]

23. Is the word "Regarding" really too long to type?

Stop with the baby talk.

[RB TexLa]

24. Very true, I should watch that. I do try to speak properly.

[Luminous Animal]

25. Actually "re" is a word in and of itself.

but the grammar is incorrect. It should read: Is the word application really to long to say re iPhone advertisement?

[MilesColtrane]

36. OK, I should have said, "Stop with the dead languages."

[Luminous Animal]

55. Condemnant quod non intellegunt.

[MilesColtrane]

56. Tempus abire tibi est

[Codeine]

26. "App" has really become its own word now.

"Application" has many meanings, while the word "app" is very specific in it's meaning.

Language evolves and changes constantly; complaining about the normal course of change is silly and smacks of being the old man shouting "get off my lawn, you damned hippy kids!"

[Occulus]

33. Exactly. Too many people don't realize that English is a living language

and, moreover, incorporates new ideas and new words and bases of words almost constantly. Given the rapid pace of today's technological development, especially with regard to global communications, we should expect to see more of this sort of thing going on more often as technology progresses.

[Posteritatis]

37. Language prescriptivists always see change as degradation

They don't understand a neologism or a new turn of phrase or the fact that nobody who's halfway intelligent gives half a damn about the no-splitting-infinitives rule or the fact that we no longer pronounce y as th, so they run around screaming that nobody can communicate anymore and we're all doomed and it's a Republican plot or whatever.

The idea of living languages terrifies these guys; generally speaking they want English to be as dead as Latin. Or Akkadian.

[JNelson6563]

42. It makes it cool!

I've known people who try to shorten everything. I think it makes them look like assholes trying to look smart.

Julie

[SidDithers]

43. I choose not to share a beverage with you...

Edit: and if you're going to complain about the use of language, at least get your grammar correct.

Sid

[RB TexLa]

44. As I told the other poster mentioning that, you never have to worry about that being a problem.

[Codeine]

46. Is the word "too" really too long to spell? nt

[SidDithers]

47. +1...

I love it when those who complain about language can't even get their own damn post correct :)

Sid

[RB TexLa]

48. I did miss that. I wasn't trying to shorten the word, I made a mistake.

In the television commercial they meant to shorten the words.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

49. Don't you mean "I was not trying to shorten the word...?"

[RB TexLa]

50. I wasn't, it was a mistake. Sorry.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

51. Don't you mean "I was not, it was a mistake?"

[Statistical]

52. lol

[RB TexLa]

53. Oh, I see. It's an opportunity to run your smartass mouth.

Maybe someone will read it and "five high" you.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

54. Wrong.

It should have been "I was not; this was a mistake."

You fail the test.

Also: "It is an opportunity to run your smartass mouth.