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[Specwriter]

I prefer construction pedant.    

 

Believe it or not, Red, I was thinking just this morning that my last post did seem a bit pedantic. As you are an attorney you would no doubt recognize this being so.  We were also told, "Specifications usually aren't read on the job site. They are read in the courtroom."

 

I do apologize but I get so enthusiastic when someone else expresses and interest in the how and why of different construction methods.

[RedScare]

No need to apologize at all. I enjoyed the terminology lesson. My first career prior to law school was in construction, and I have a lasting fascination with it. And, I must admit, as a longtime fan of the late William Safire's column on language, I was impressed with your use of the term nudnik.

[Specwriter]

No need to apologize at all. I enjoyed the terminology lesson. My first career prior to law school was in construction, and I have a lasting fascination with it. And, I must admit, as a longtime fan of the late William Safire's column on language, I was impressed with your use of the term nudnik.

 

I also really enjoy Safire's columns. He was a great journalist. Another great volume on the subject is the late commentator Edwin Newman's Strictly Speaking: Will America be the Death of English. It was first published in the early 1970's but is still available used. Mr. Newman lived until 2010 but I'm not sure if he made subsequent revisions to the book to reflect the advances in technology and the wonderful ways those advances affected our language. I read a first edition which I found at a garage sales a few years ago.

 

As the person who oversees written specifications for construction projects and ensures other documents are coordinated with them, I am the de facto quality assurance guy on the project team so nudnik is an apt summary of my role.

 

Everyday English has benefited greatly from the tongues of our ancestors.