Hear, hear!
Here (again) in the United States, if government and private insurance payers
quit paying for orthotic services that include the word orthotic, I guarantee
you the word would disappear, as a noun and as an adjective. In such case,
words like brace and appliance might reappear and they would be used with new
passion, provided 3rd party agencies would pay for the services. From what I
have seen, professional honor and concern often seems to start and stop with
one word; money.
According to past personal inquiries with one linguistic institute in
Illinois, words can and often do evolve from popular usage. The word
chiropractor, for instance, comes from two Greek roots; chiro (Latin for hand
– from the Greek word kheire (hand.)) and praktikos (Greek for practical.))
Hence, practical hands. Today, it is common to see the word chiropractic
being used as a noun on chiropractic signs. In fact it is a noun, and only a
noun, according to the American Heritage Dictionary (AHD). Yes, according to
the AHD, there is no adjective form of chiropractic. Is this confusing? Now
look up the word ain’t. The linguistic scholars dance all around this one,
trying to save face. I have a feeling they would have to do the same thing
with the word chiropractic, in a town hall showdown. Arsn’t we having fun?
(Hope you English and Scotsmen can access some of this stuff and enjoy)
Okay, now for some new alternative medical “nouns” that follow the same
linguistic rules and logic as chiropractic. Where are the office signs
(nouns) for podiatric, orthodontic, orthopedic, pediatric, and prosthetic?
All of these words, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, are
ADJECTIVES; period. Hmmm, sounds like discrimination to me, or else a
downright screw-up! Did some of our linguistic dictionary scholars fall
asleep at the wheel on the words chiropractic and orthotic? Perhaps they too
like “a nip and a half,” times 10. But, during business hours?
As I said earlier, and once heard it well put, it’s all about money hon. Put
a dollar sign in front of the word orthotic (both a noun and an adjective —
bull!) and it will quickly become whatever you want it to be; noun, adjective,
adverb, prepositional phrase, or perhaps a dangling participle. Frankly,
practically speaking, a brace is a brace is a brace. The American Heritage
Dictionary still describes several objects for the word brace, including
orthopedic appliances and the British (bracers) suspenders.
In the meantime, let’s all have another nip-and-a-half or Guinni. Coming
next; “prosthosis.” Who?
Hear, hear!
Who says a two car funeral can’t be screwed-up?
Wil
