Monday, November 2, 2015

Words That Ought to be Obsolete, But Aren't

Digital technology has made a lot of words obsolete, but perhaps even more interesting than those cluttering the digital dustbin are the words that despite their illogic persist in current parlance. Two that come to mind are taping and filming.

Not much is taped or filmed these days. Even major Hollywood studios have switched largely to digital formats, though a good bit of 35mm filming continues. Film provides a warmth and color range that many directors believe digital cannot quite deliver. Nonetheless, expense and convenience rule the day and film is in the preponderate minority.

Likewise in audio recording there exists a school of thought that 2” magnetic tape, notably for drums, delivers a natural compression that can only be captured on analog media. Even so, most recordings released these days are recorded in digital formats.


With common popular recording, on cell phones or using contemporary recording devices, almost no one is filming to videotape or recording to audiotape. Yet, the process of digital audio and video capture is quite commonly referred to as taping or filming. Other such misnomers include dialing a phone number and doing paperwork in your office that never ends up on paper. Can you think of any others?