[Sigia-l] Terms & the rest of us: Findability (was: VivelaFrance! Vive Napoleon!!)

[Byron]

On Friday, July 18, 2003, at 02:34  PM, Dr. Marios Pittas wrote:

>> What's the percentage of French speakers who today would have no 
>> problems
>> understanding the word "email"? I suspect >95%.
>
> That's because they have been "forced" (!) to learn it that way.. 
> should the
> new generation grow with it and make it part of their language too?

They may "choose" to. Surely any current and relevant language evolves 
to support the needs & desires of its users. Perhaps many are "forced" 
by their own desire to participate in changes which are sweeping 
historic and global in scope (the internet). The price of admission is 
adaptability.  Seems to me that from a traditional user experience 
perspective the question would be whether a language should evolve to 
support the needs of its users, or whether it's the other way around...

What did the French or Spanish or English language sound like before 
the Roman occupation? (probably nothing like today's "true" French, 
Spanish, English) IMO any language will adapt to change or be 
eventually abandoned or outrun by its own users.

Looks like the academies and ministries will be very, very busy in the 
decades to come :-)

Byron