I love watching medical shows on TV. Love the drama, love the lingo. Medical shows are great for using language that the rest of us don't use in our everyday lives. "He's crashing! Get the blue team in here --STAT!" I wonder if doctors used the same terms away from work: "John--the Girl Scouts are here with the cookies! Bring my checkbook--STAT!" I had a friend years ago who was a nurse, and peeking at her grocery list I was confused when I saw "nacl" on the paper. She explained that she needed salt (sodium chloride), and that was how she wrote it at work, so....
In my own day-to-day, I find that 15 years of using radios to talk back and forth with people has influenced my speech and conversations. When did I stop saying "just a minute" and start using "stand by" all the time? My friends look at me a little quizzically when I don't say "never mind," but throw out "disregard" instead. And where Mom would tell you not to say "uh-huh" in place of a clear "yes," from me you're likely to get "copy that" after being given a direction or a response to a question. And for a new way to say "what?"-- well, never use one word when five will do.
Come on--I know I'm not alone here. Law Enforcement has their "10 code." IT people certainly have a language all their own. And let's not even start with acronyms--the parent to text messaging and e-mail abbreviations. Have you found yourself peppering your conversations with "work" language? Confusing your friends and family? Maybe we could start a dictionary or translation guide for the "lingo challenged." Someone should--STAT!
