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The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Sunday 24 January 2021

Sunday Rest. Word Not To Use Today: netizen.

 The trouble with the word netizen is that it's not clear whether the thing describes a citizen of the internet or a denizen.

A citizen has an official standing; he has rights and obligations. A denizen just...exists. 

It is possible, for example (at least theoretically), to be a denizen of Hell; but a citizen of Hell is harder to imagine.

Ah well. At least the silly word has made me think, so perhaps it has some worth, after all.

Sunday Rest: netizen. This word is a mixture of the words internet and citizen. It was coined in 1984. The word citizen is to do with cities and the word internet is to do with nets.


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