atw: Re: SEC: UNCLASS The slash or solidus - not as solid as you think?

Oh Howard,
Now you've stumbled onto my very most favourite pet hate!
This is the pet hate that I'd feed from my plate and allow to sleep on
my bed!

Why do I go livid, purple with rage, at the slash (no, not the lead
guitarist from Guns 'n' Roses).
People seem to use it to mean 'or', 'and', 'and/or' 'I don't know which
word to use so I'll leave it to you to decide'.

The last example is the worst: it puts the onus of understanding on the
reader, not the writer.

The Style Manual advises that the slash may be used in place of 'or'
where space is limited (in tables, say) in mathematical expression or as
a substitute for 'per' in, say, Km/hour.

Expressions like documenter/trainer, owner/operator, fighter/bomber
should be treated with an n-dash, no space, when they mean 'both fighter
and bomber' 'both documenter and trainer'. They would otherwise mislead
the reader into thinking that either was acceptable.

I need to say, that on the other hand, written language is evolving and
one of the trends is to be less precise: to, in fact confidently leave
the burden of interpretation to the reader. I can't say whether this is
a good or a bad thing.

For mine, I find the slash is one of those reading speed humps that
ought to be avoided at all costs.

-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Silcock, Howard
DR
Sent: Thursday, 26 May 2005 13:22 PM
To: Austechwriter (austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Subject: atw: SEC: UNCLASS The slash or solidus - not as solid as you
think?

Since Bede commented on my use of 'and/or', I've been pondering this and
related issues. Perhaps '/' itself is also worthy of attention.=20

According to the sources I've checked, its main use is to indicate
alternatives (as in 'input/output' and, presumably, 'and/or'). So you
might
think it ought to be possible, at least in most cases, to use 'or'
instead
('and or or'?).=20

Yet I don't think that's quite right. If you saw an advertisement for a
'documenter/trainer', you'd presumably expect the successful applicant
to
carry out *both* roles, wouldn't you? And, in fact, you'd also expect an
'input/output module' to handle *both* input and output, wouldn't you?
So
maybe it indicates a *combination*?=20

No - that can't be right either! A 'yes/no answer' doesn't mean 'well,
yes
and no'. And 'Dear Sir/Madam' isn't addressed only to hermaphrodites.
This
is more complex than I realised!=20

Well, maybe it indicates that the referent can be one of two kinds, or
have
one of two attributes, *but not necessarily at the same time, or in the
same
instance*. An input/output module is sometimes an input module,
sometimes an
output module (and I don't know if it can ever be both at the same time,
but
that doesn't matter). And a documenter/trainer is sometimes one,
sometimes
the other. 'Dear Sir/Madam' addresses, in some instances, a man, in some
instances, a woman. Yes, this is starting to seem right.

Maybe this is why I've felt uneasy when people use '/' liberally in
documentation - because its use is so ill-defined. And I'm still not
confident that I've completely captured the meaning. A search on the web
was
remarkably unproductive, but one site provided this quote, which
expressed
something like my gut feeling:

'What bothers/annoys me is when slashes are used by careless/illiterate
writers/people too clueless/lazy to pick/select the right/correct
word/term.'

Anyone want to add some comments - or tell me I'm on the wrong track?
(No,
you don't need to tell me it's also used as a path separator.) I mainly
want
a way of deciding when I can justify putting the red pen through '/'.=20

Howard =20

-------------------------------
=20    Howard L. Silcock
=20     Technical Writer
Project Office - Infrastructure
=20   Department of Defence
=20      (02) 626 58828 =20
-------------------------------


**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject
field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with "unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail and any attachment to it are intended only =
to be read or used by the named addressee. It is confidential and may con=
tain legally privileged information. No confidentiality or privilege is w=
aived or lost by any mistaken transmission to you. The RTA is not respons=
ible for any unauthorised alterations to this e-mail or attachment to it.=
=20Views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, an=
d are not necessarily the views of the RTA. If you receive this e-mail in=
=20error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the se=
nder. You must not disclose, copy or use any part of this e-mail if you a=
re not the intended recipient.
**************************************************
To post a message to austechwriter, send the message to 
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe to austechwriter, send a message to 
austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with "subscribe" in the Subject field.

To unsubscribe, send a message to austechwriter-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
"unsubscribe" in the Subject field.

To search the austechwriter archives, go to 
www.freelists.org/archives/austechwriter

To contact the list administrator, send a message to 
austechwriter-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
**************************************************

Other related posts: