Imprisoning neology

October 14, 2009

Today’s front page of the Wall St Journal has a hilarious article on the serious debate in France concerning whether or not “informatique en nuage” is an appropriate rendering of “cloud computing.”
Both France and Spain have official commissions that rule on the appropriateness of neologisms and terminology (France’s General Commission of Terminology & Neology and Spain’s Real Academia de la Lengua Espanola). You guys don’t get it, do you? Languages are living, dynamic, evolving developing — that is, complex — systems, not mummies pickled in history to be displayed in museums.
Purists — including those who scoff about fusion food — are fighting a losing battle: the future belongs to the melting pot!
Viva Spanglish!

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