Dear Americans for the Arts

[gnomi]

I appreciate your desire for children to learn about music -- specifically Mozart -- at a young age. I also appreciate that you try to make your ad more interesting by framing it as a breakfast cereal commercial. It makes it a bit more interesting than other PSAs. However...

"Impactful" is not a standard American English word. It is yet another piece of "bizspeak" that has made it out of the corporate sphere (where it should have died a quick death) and crossed into mainstream usage.

And it makes me cringe every single time.

Because the message it gives is, "We want our children to learn about music, but we don't care if they learn incorrect English."

Are you sure this is the lesson you wish to convey?

Sincerely,
A stickler who listens to the radio

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I don't expect this complaint to be very impactful unless you send it directly to them.

Also, I doubt it would impact them.

(Maybe one day, I will use "impact" as a noun again.)

[tygerseye.livejournal.com]

But it's much more *cough* compactful than saying "has an impact on" when you have limited radio time. ;-)

I work with lawyers who make up words on a regular basis. Favorite at the moment: "hereinbelow".

[caryabend.livejournal.com]

The Germans create compound words. English is a Germanic language. Weshoulddoittoo. :)

[tober.livejournal.com]

"impactful" doesn't irk me as much as "administrate" (as a synonym for "administer"). It seems to me no worse than "disrespect" (as a verb) - which a lot of (otherwise?) astute people claim to me is perfectly proper.

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

And I get the feeling that the music isn't to be learned for its own sake, either, but rather for the future impactfulness of the kids in their MBA programs etc.

[cramerica.livejournal.com]

(though maybe the org. is more sincere than I've given them credit for)

[dpolicar]

I don't, in general, object to coining new words or usages.
I do sorta object to it when all it does is create synonyms for perfectly good words.
If someone can explain to me how "impactful" differs from "powerful" and "influential" I might allow it into my lexicon.

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

The "bizspeak" noun and verb versions of "impact" don't bother me much - they seem to have fallen into mainstream usage, over many people's objections - but "impactful" bugs me. I don't like how it looks on the page, and the "ctf" combo makes it difficult to say. If they had to coin a new synonym for "effective", why not "impactious" or "impactive"?

And should I be frightened that the spellchecker on my browser is not telling me "impactive" needs to be corrected?

[madfilkentist]

Vaguely related, on the topic of language rants: This morning on WGBH, a commentator referred to a guest as a "former Marine Corpse captain."

He must be with the Legions of the Dead.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

I AM SO WITH YOU ON THIS.

It makes me insane. And at this point I've just given up on the whole "using impact as a verb" thing, since it's just become too acceptable to fight any more.