Time to role with it?
 

Given the increasing spread of illiteracy among all combat arms and the decreasing use of actual rolls of paper to record the participants of an event, is it time to move away from the 'nominal role[sic]' that retards keep writing and into the current, digital age?

Suggestions for alternatives?

Ahem.....
 

..... blithely referring to others as "retards" isn't going to win you any friends.

Also what exactly is it that you want to see happen? It isn't terribly clear from your message.

Do you want to go to text speak minus capitalisation and punctuation?

Do tell.

The Ancient Mariner

Quite, rossian. The "illiterate retards" mostly manage at least to get the message across, perhaps with imperfect grammar or spelling -but I'm really not sure what bighed wants to happen.

As ever, I am guilty of writing before checking that my comments would not offend. I sought to spark a discussion on this long out of date term which seems to (rightly) tax those who don't realise its origins.

It may also just have been the result of seeing it written wrongly for the seventh time this week.

I'm not sure that 45 comments in 13 years warrants an 'as ever'.

Methmol - you correctly assume that the only place I have expressed any opinion in that period is on this forum.

Rossian - I seek no new friends, simply enlightenment.

Age of Enlightenment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You're to late for enlightenment :ok:

If I understand you correctly, you want to eliminate the use of the word 'role' because no-one gets their list of assigned tasks* handed to them on a roll of paper anymore.

If you eliminate every word in English which has an archaic or obsolete origin but which nevertheless remains a perfectly good word there won't be a lot left.

* Oh hang on, that's Latin. Can't use that one either ...

"Nominal list", or even simpler "list of names" would seem to fit the bill as a suitable alternative.

My bête noire is "ex-pat" instead of expat. I have even seen "ex-patriot", as though the expatriate no longer felt any allegiance to their mother country (even though this is sometimes true!)

StuartP - I think BHSF's post is about removing the term 'nominal roll' as so many numpties insist instead on writing 'nominal role' because they don't know the difference or because their spoolchicker recognises both words and won't correct them.

Possibly the same people who use pacific when they mean specific;)

Well that’s six minutes I won't be getting back....evah


:E

What exactly is your pacific issue?

I have seen plenty of examples of nominal roles in the military.