"Displays" as intransitive verb

[Connie Winch <CEW -at- MACOLA -dot- USA -dot- COM>]

J.P writes:

>     Please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't "displays", as used in the
>above sentence, the plural of the noun, display (display...-n. 2. Anything
>that is exhibited or displayed. -- American Heritage Dictionary.)?

Bill Burns responds:

It's being used as an intransitive verb (synonymous with  "appears").
Check the online version of AHD (perhaps the hardcopy has it, too).
It has the following definition:

        --intr.  1.  computer science.  To provide information or graphics
on a screen: [e.g.] a personal computer that displays and prints.

The question this person had was whether this usage ("display" as an
intransitive verb) was acceptable.  The AHD suggests that it is standard in
computer environments.  I don't like to use it this way because it doesn't
jibe with my intuitive understanding of the word "display" (one which
includes
a subject <<displaying>> a direct object).  I prefer using "appear" as the
intransitive verb in such environments.  It avoids the kind of confusion
you
expressed (mistaking the intransitive verb form for a plural noun).

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At my previous place of employment (which shall remain unnamed),
"displays" was used as an intransitive verb in just about every chapter
of the (very large) doc. set, as in "The following screen displays."
I and a fellow grammarian fought this for a long time and were
finally successful; we also switched to "appears".  It was
disheartening to learn that to the others (some, not all) in the
department, the terms transitive and intransitive did not mean
anything.  Some had not had real training in grammar & writing.
Is this as prevalent as it seems?  (I have only been in the profession
for a year and a half and have had exposure to only 2 tech writing
departments.)

It is also disheartening to learn that the American Heritage Dictionary
has now made that standard, as I have a feeling that the above story is not
unusual; in other words, it's now standard because people were misusing
the word (and such use was prevalent, apparently).  Granted, language
changes, but in this case I argue for leaving it transitive only.  IMHO,
the sense of that word is that you can't just display, you have to display
_something_.

Connie E. Winch
Technical Writer
Macola, Incorporated
cew -at- macola -dot- usa -dot- com