TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Neologisms From:Robert Bononno <bononno -at- ACF2 -dot- NYU -dot- EDU> Date:Wed, 2 Mar 1994 21:49:07 -0500
Closure?
Lit-critters and art-critters have been using it for years, particulary
those with decon tendencies. Personally I think it's an evasive maneuver
to avoid saying what they really mean. It's jargon and it gets on my
nerves a bit the same way using "to impact" does.
Robert Bononno
On Wed, 2 Mar 1994, Alun Whittaker wrote:
> Recently, I've noticed the increasing use of the word "closure" in
> an emotional or psycho-babble sense meaning anything from "catharsis"
> to "healing", "conciliation" to "forgiveness".
> Until a few months ago, I don't believe that I had heard the word
> other than in a strict mathematical usage or in a description of a
> fastening on an item of clothing. Now it seems to be occuring
> daily in political and social commentary and in artistic
> criticism.
> Can anyone enlighten me whether "closure" has a real psycho-analytical
> or psychiatric meaning (the M-W doesn't include one) and how the word
> suddenly entered the media vocabulary.
> Alun Whittaker
> Schlumberger GeoQuest
> Corte Madera, CA USA
> ----------------------------------
> alun -at- corte-madera -dot- geoquest -dot- slb -dot- com
> ----------------------------------
