From C.Cartledge@sheffield.ac.uk Mon Sep 27 15:40:01 1993 Received: from osiris.dknet.dk by dkuug.dk with SMTP id AA19371 (5.65c8/IDA-1.4.4j for ); Mon, 27 Sep 1993 16:47:56 +0100 X400-Received: by mta osiris.dknet.dk in /PRMD=minerva/ADMD=dk400/C=dk/; Relayed; Mon, 27 Sep 1993 16:47:59 +0100 X400-Received: by /PRMD=uk.ac/ADMD= /C=gb/; Relayed; Mon, 27 Sep 1993 16:47:56 +0100 X400-Received: by /PRMD=UK.AC/ADMD= /C=GB/; Relayed; Mon, 27 Sep 1993 16:48:21 +0100 X400-Received: by /PRMD=UK.AC/ADMD= /C=GB/; Relayed; Mon, 27 Sep 1993 14:40:01 +0100 Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1993 14:40:01 +0100 X400-Originator: C.Cartledge@sheffield.ac.uk X400-Recipients: sc24@dkuug.dk X400-Mts-Identifier: [/PRMD=uk.ac/ADMD= /C=gb/; Message-Id: To: "Barry J. Shepherd" <72674.445@compuserve.com> Cc: sc24 relector In-Reply-To: <199309250018.AA13994@dkuug.dk> Subject: Re: (SC24.42) Revised definition for Multimedia Reply-To: Chris Cartledge Original-Sender: Chris Cartledge Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII X-Charset: ASCII X-Char-Esc: 29 On 24 Sep 1993, Barry J. Shepherd wrote: > > Note: The term multimedia is an adjective. I know not who try to assert things like this, but it ignores current English and US usage. There is little point in inaccurate pendentary. Common usage is that multimedia is a noun that refers to a set technologies. People who say it is an adjective presumably base their statement on the fact that it often appears with another noun, but noun sequences are common in English. Rosemary Learnard's book of 1985 discusses the problem of understanding such sequences: "A sponge-bag is a bag for or containing a sponge or sponges". Similarly a multimedia machine is a machine for or containing multimedia, but this does not necessarily make multimedia an adjective. A test is to replace multimedia by, say, memory an noun according to Chambers, not an adjective - if the sentence still makes sense multimedia need not be an adjective. Common usage for a noun would be sentences where it appears as a subject or object of a clause: Multimedia is ... I certainly will continue, like many others, to use multimedia as a noun and regard those who say it is an adjective and p...ing into the w... :-) Clear examples of the use of multimedia as a noun include the following quotes "multimedia can no longer be dismissed as mere marketting hype" Windows User Sep 93 "Many multimedia mail systems have acheived success with a moderate-sized user community but all of them have failed to make MULTIMEDIA capabilities ..." While the first reference in the above sentence may be adjectival the second does not seem to be (my emphasis) Multimedia Electronic Mail: Will the Dream become a Reality? Nathaniel S Borenstein: CACM April 91 Multimedia 93 Exhibition name Regards Chris Cartledge Academic Computing Services, University of Sheffield, GB-Sheffield, S10 2TN Tel: 0742 824274, Fax: 0742 753899