Calling Klaus Daube... :)
-Original Message-
From: Harding, Dan
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2015 9:22 AM
To: framers@lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: User's manual vs. User manual
ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer
gefingerpoken und mittengrabben.
I recommend User Manual.
Technical Writers should not ever use possessives. They are also forbidden for
translation.
Tom
Thomas E. Scalise
Contract Senior Technical Writer/Consultant
T+ 1 561 622 5416
F+ 1 561 622 9938
thomas.scal...@crossmatch.commailto:thomas.scal...@crossmatch.com
We avoid this issue by naming books after their functional scope:
'Widget' Installation
'Widget' Operation
'Widget' Administration
(etc)
The thinking being (a) we avoid this whole thread, (b) we don't have to superfluous terms like "manual" or "guide" that state the obvious,and (c) end users
Stephen,
This has happened to me a couple of times too. Horrible!! Accidentally setting
off a 'find and replace' globally for something (usually changing a few letters
to a blank string), simply because the focus was accidentally on that dialog
and I triggered it before I realised what was
Or get away from the whole conundrum entirely.
Calling the hardware in question a “widget”, for the moment:
Widget Instruction Manual
Widget Reference Manual
Guide to Using Widgets
Widget How-To Guide
Widgets 101
Widgets and You
1001 Uses for Widgets
Widgetology
Everything You Always Wanted to
This is from an old e-mail I sent to the Framers list not quite 5 years ago.
I got this from my sister and ... I am sorry ... I _cannot_ resist sending this
completely off-topic response. Please forgive me in advance!
Z
Subject: English will become official European Language.
The European
ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken
und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen.
Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in
That's some of the most impressive pseudogerman I've ever seen. Kudos! :D
Lea Rush
Software and Documentation Specialist
Astoria-Pacific
www.astoria-pacific.com
P: 800-536-3111, +1-503-657-3010
-Original Message-
From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com
Lest anyone think I created that, I plagiarized shamelessly. Apparently it has
been around since the 1960s, a classic as it were.
-Original Message-
From: framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-boun...@lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Lea Rush
Sent: Monday, March 16,
That's some of the most impressive pseudogerman I've ever seen. Kudos! :D
We are getting truly off topic, but my favorite German compound is
'Gemeinschaftsgefül' (if I have spelled it correctly). It's a real word, taken
from Adlerian psychology, and is rather lovely. It means, as best I know,
Thanks for your quick, and often humorous responses. (It's Monday and
laughter-inducing answers are always welcomed!) We are going to go with User
Manual for brevity and translation considerations. This group rocks!
On Monday, March 16, 2015 4:51 AM, Davis, David
David Davis said:
In German they get around this kind of thing by making compound nouns, so
you'd have the equivalent of Usermanual (Benutzerhandbuch...?), but
English prefers to leave a space.
Indeed! :)
Reminds me of the time I was helping a fraternity brother (fluent German
speaker)
I prefer to think of it as a manual intended for - not owned by - users.
Alison
Alison Craig | Technical Documentation Lead
Ultrasonix | 130-4311 Viking Way | Richmond, BC V6V 2K9 |
analogicultrasound.comhttp://www.analogicultrasound.com
T 604-279-8550 ext 127 | F 604-279-8559
From: Shmuel
Gemeinschaftsgeful is a beautiful word. Even more off topic, my last name,
Pann, as best I can estimate, is from Panne, which means mechanical breakdown.
Why mechanical breakdown would be such a short word in German rather than a
long concatenation of strung-together words I don't know, but it
Yes, there are restrictive [and non-restrictive] adjectives, which is what I
assume you are referring to as limiting adjectives (a term I failed to find
in any of my handy grammar/linguistics references).
But I don't think that's what we are dealing with here in the non-possessive
case,
Thanks, Fred--
[T]he second noun could be made from the first (e.g., chicken soup),
intended for the first (e.g., user manual),
composed of the first (e.g., butterfly migration),
dependent on the first (e.g., church wedding)
At the grocery store, we see this variety all the time.
Corn
Shmuel,
In an earlier post on this topic I pointed out that in English we have
adjectives of varying types, two of which are:
possessive adjectives
limiting adjectives
User manual is a example of the latter and limits the intended audience.
Another example of this is butterfly migration which
Well what if you have more than one user? Then it would have to be Users'
Manual :)
It's easier to avoid that fuss and just called it User Manual.
In German they get around this kind of thing by making compound nouns, so you'd
have the equivalent of Usermanual (Benutzerhandbuch...?), but
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