Many attempts have been made to overcome this problem and they have all failed . The fear of foreign influence and domination rules out the universal acceptance of any one of the existing major languages . Aware of this difficulty , many linguists have constructed artificial languages which could have no possible political overtones . They have argued that a language of this sort would perform much the same service as Latin did in the Middle Ages .

Although linguists succeeded in making their artificial languages extremely simple so that they would be easy to learn , their attempts seemed dommed from the start . The reason for this is that there is no real incentive to learn an artificial language . There is nothing to guarantee that everybody is willing to make the effort ; there is no assurance that the learner will have any adequate return for his toil . When people today undertake to learn a foreign language they are not interested in only speaking it . Mastery of a language makes available to the learner a great deal of worthwhile literature and many current publications . This is the biggest stumbling-block of all for the artificial – constructed tongue . Having no literature of its own , all it can offer is a limited number of translations which are valueless in themselves . Nor can it acquire any literature ; for it would have to be used for a great many generations before this could become possible . Moreover , constant use over a long period would bring into being many national dialects and the language would thus defeat its own purpose .

Another serious objection is the fact that a language is shaped by use and not by design . It is a living thing which is forever growing and changing . It takes hundreds of years before it can acquire richness and depth . In an artificial language , however , the meanings of words are rigidly defined . Inflexibility makes for an absence of subtlety , so that no really fine meaning can be conveyed .

Though this quality might be admirable for scientific publications , it greatly impedes the development of any significant literature . Latin was ideal in this respect , for it was a ‘dead’ language with a literature ; an artificial one is “dead” from the start . This makes it likely that existing language barriers will remain with us for a very long time .

Ambigram: A word or words that can be read in more than one direction , such as rotated or reflected (SWIMS, MOM).

Anagram: Letters from one word rearranged to form another word (act versus cat).

Ananym: A pseudonym made by reversing a name (James versus Semaj).

Antogonym: A single word that has conflicting meanings (dust , as in remove dust versus dust , to add dust , as in dusting for fingerprints).

Antonym: Two words with opposite or near opposite meanings (up versus down).

Autoantonym: Same as an antagonym.

Autonym: A word that describe itself (mispelled is mis-spelled ; noun is a noun).

Capitonym: A word that changes meaning when capitalized (Polish versus polish).

Contranym, Contronym: Same as antagonym.

Exonym: A place name that foreigners use instead of the name that locals use (Spain versus Espana).

Heteronym: Words that have the same spelling but different meanings or pronounciation (produce , read , convert).

Homographs: Same as heteronym.

Homonym: Words with the same pronunciation or spelling but different meanings (reign and rain).

Homophone: Words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently (flu versus flew).

Hypernym: The type of one word in relationship to another (bird is the hypernym of robin ; animal is the hypernym of bird).

Hyponym: The specific type of one word in relationship to another (robin is a hyponym of bird ; cat is the hyponym of animal).

Oronym: Similar to a homophone but made up of a series of words (ice cream versus I scream ; kiss the sky versus kiss this guy).

Pseudoantonym: A word that appears to have a meaning opposite of its actual meaning (inflammable , unloose).

Synonym: Two words that have the same or nearly the same meaning (build and assemble).

A technology for sending large amounts of data over the same lines used for local phones. DSL is a relatively low-cost way of providing broadband connections, but it does have some technical complications (including limitations on how far away from the phone switch a subscriber can be), which means not everybody can use it.

E-mail Spoofing

Practice of sending an e-mail that has a forged sender address, generally to disguise the actual sender or to create mischief for a business.

Encryption

The conversion of data into a form, called a “ciphertext,” that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people. Decryption, however, is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form so it can be understood.

eXtensible Markup Language (XML)

A specification for documents enabling designers to create formatting commands that enable the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organisations.

Firewall

A combination of specialized hardware and software designed to keep unauthorized users from accessing information within a computer network.

ActiveX Controls from Microsoft are a method of running programs, called scripts, either on the server or on the user’s Windows-based computer, as a response to accessing a Web site. Because ActiveX scripts can be run on the user’s computer, they can be easily used by those with malicious intent to deliver viruses, hostile programs, or simply to acquire information that has been stored on your computer, such as your e-mail address, information about your internet connection, what kind of machine or programs you are using, and so on. An ActiveX control, unlike a Java applet, has no limitations on what it can do, so it has much greater privacy implications.

Bandwidth

The information-carrying capacity of a network connection. Usually measured in bits per second (bps); a typical modem line carries 56,000 bits per second (56kbps), a typical large Web site has a T3 line, with 45 million bps (45Mbps), while a few ultra-high-end trunk lines carry up to 6 billion bps (6Gbps).

Computer fraud

Computer-related crimes involving deliberate misrepresentation, alteration, or disclosure of data to obtain something of value, usually for monetary gain.

Cookie

Pieces of text placed in a file or files on your computer’s hard drive by a Web site you’ve visited. Some cookies (called “persistend cookies”) may be used to identify you the next time you access the site by storing your password for you. Others may store information about the contents of your shopping cart. Cookies cannot identify an individual user specifically unless the cookie data is attached to personally identifiable information collected some other way, such as via an online registration form. Cookie data may include such information as a credit card number, the particular size or weight of a part ordered, or a password.

This is being really nitpicky , but a diet is whatever you eat and drink on a normal basis . If you’re tying to lose weight , you should say you’re going on a weight-loss diet , because everyone has a diet-even people who are trying to gain weight .

I’m going on a low-fat diet to try to lose weight so I can fit into my old cheerleading uniform .

Disc/Disk

The words are synonyms . For reasons unbeknownst to me , the preferred spelling for CDs , CD-ROMs , and the “cushions” in your spine is disc , and the preferred spelling for floppy and hard drives is disk .

After he fell off a ladder , my father had a slipped disc .
I saved my limerick about Swiss cheese on a disk .

Economic/Economical

Economic isn’t a word for thrifty-that’s economical . Economic just refers to money and wealth ; it doesn’t judge how much money is involved . (Your car is not economic , though it may be economical.)Your economic resources are how much money you have . If you’re being economical , you’re being careful with your money .

The country is in an economic crisis because it can’t pay its debts to the United Nations .
She has an economical lifestyle , preferring to buy things only when they’re on sale .

The noun that means “someone who depends on someone else” can be spelled either dependent or dependant . The adjective , meaning reliant , can only be spelled dependent .

My three dependants eat me out of house and home.
I am dependent on coffee to get me through the morning.

Desert/Dessert

The desert is that dry , hot place with cacti and lots of sand.If you desert somebody , you leave him by himself . Dessert , the food you eat after a meal , is so luscious that it gets an extra “s” .How to remember this one ? You always want two desserts , hence “s” appears twice . I don’t know about you , but I’d rather not spend more than one day in the desert.

It figures that our car’s air conditioning would break while we’re in the middle of a desert.
What do you mean there’s no dessert ? I have been craving chocolate ice cream all day .

Dieing/Dyeing/Dying

You’ll probably never have use for the word dieing , which means to use a specialized device ( a die ) to stamp or cut . Dying is what happens at the end of your life , and you are dyeing if you’re adding dye to something-like your hair or your clothes . I always wondered whether I was tie-dyeing or tie-dying .. now I know .

Yesterday , I was dieing sheet metal .
I’m afraid the hamster is dying .
At this time tomorrow , I’ll be dyeing my hair purple .

“A counselor is an attorney . A councilor is a member of a city council or some other council or law-making body ,” says writer LeAnn R. Ralph . Further , she adds that when you go to a lawyer , you’re seeking legal counsel , not legal council . A counselor may aslo be someone who offers guidance or psychological help.

I’m seeing a counselor to help me overcome my fear of vegetables.
The councilor resigned after two years on the job .

Couple/Few/Several

A couple is only two , never more . A few is any small number above two . Several is an unspecified small number that’s more than two .

I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night.
I get cranky if I go more than a few days without a massage.
My cat has signed off her whiskers several times by sticking her face too close to a candle.

Data

Data is a plural word – so you can’t say “the data is” ; you have to say “the data are.” The singular form is datum .

The data show that random acts of kindness are on the rise.