I (verb) therefore I am (annoying/important)

A friend of mine was commenting on the way in which verbs seem to hold more sway than any other catagory of word. People don’t mind if you invent a new noun, and will chuckle politely if you coin a new adjective, but to create a new verb is to invite the wrath of language purists everywhere. And related to this, you know a technology has become significant when you can use it as a verb and both be understood and escape physical abuse. So in any one day I may blog, google or skype. As yet I would hesitate in public to say I flickr or wiki, and I can’t see the day when I would ever utter ‘I delicioused it’, but you get the idea. Probably a warning to companies or developers – try using your product/technology name as a verb – if you wince at it then try a different one.

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