Monday 30 March 2015

What's your methodology?

I frequently get grammar-related bees in my bonnet, and this is my current one. Methodology. To all those pompous word-spinners who misuse words like this,  I would like to shout from the rooftops (and I'm very bad indeed when it comes to heights): "methodology" is not, repeat not, the same as "method". It is:


a. body of practices, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a discipline or engage in an inquiry; a set of working methods: the methodology of genetic studies; a pollmarred by faulty methodology.
b. The study or theoretical analysis of such working methods.

Okay? 

 When exactly did this ridiculous usage begin? I hear it on the radio, and read it, too. Only last week we had a form which wanted to know "what methodology of payment were we going to use". It's like the "glazing enhancement specialists*"  (yes. Really.) who clean our windows. Come on, guys. You're window cleaners. Stand up and be proud of yourselves. You don't need posh titles to show that you do a good job, and we don't need posh words to convey simple meanings. More and ever longer words are being used to express less and less. I love words, but I'm beginning to despair.

I shall now go and roast a chicken (I'm sure there's a posh expression for that, too).

*One of my sons refuses to believe this, but I have a piece of paper that proves it. Besides, I couldn't make it up. Really.


10 comments:

  1. I'm sure Frances that you are selling yourself short. Of course you could have made up 'glazing enhancement specialists'. The point is 'would you'? As for the misuse of the word methodology I am, of course, with you. As for roasting a chicken how about cookachook (but you probably need to me a Kiwi to understand that).

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    1. I like cookachook, although I'm not a Kiwi. Thank you, Graham!

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  2. Years ago I used to watch a TV programme called Eggheads. At the beginning of each show the presenter would ask the visiting team what jobs they did. Some (most) of the answers were totally unfathomable. They all wanted their tedious positions to sound 'executive'.

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    1. I wonder what an executive name for a nurse would be (I am/ was a nurse). Healthcare responsibity and administrative operative?

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  3. In Germany, the (mis)use of certain terms becomes even more ridiculous when people prefer what they think is the more modern sounding English version.- more often than not, misleading or simply wrong.
    For instance, who used to be called a good old-fashioned Hausmeister (caretaker) at, say, a school, nowadays has "Facility Manager" proudly printed on his business card.
    As for using words wrongly, such as your example of methodology vs. method; RJ and I are forever on about that when we hear such rubbish on the news, uttered by people who should know better.

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  4. Workflow is another and one I am guilty of using from now on I will stick to method.

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  5. I don't mind fancy words and fancy titles if they're accurate, but they rarely are.

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