BBC 4 announces classical music season

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It's just a word.

Who are you and what have you done with our frenchie?!

That it is self-evidently much more than "just a word" is evidenced by the flurry of furious jowl-flapping that it has occasioned on this Thread. I stand by my fondness for the word and second gurne's comments:

It is easy to see why it is in common use: It is short and snappy. It has a much broader connotation than just "concert", being used for eg a comedian's standup performance or even temporary employment. It lends itself to a variety of extended usage, eg "get the gig" etc and can also be useful as an intransitive verb. "He'll be gigging again this summer." I certainly use it sometimes.

- It is for all these reasons that it has become a favourite amongst the "younger" (the definition of which here seems to be "those under sixty") listeners to "Classical" Music.

[MrGongGong]

Several years ago I was phoned up by someone from a local orchestra (the LSO actually...erm but not THAT one )
they had heard that I played the french horn (though at the time I only really played with live electronics so not sure where they got the idea to call me from ?) and were looking for a player for an upcoming performance.
"When is the gig" I asked
"Excuse me, this is a serious performance of Classical Music" was the reply

Not hard to make the decision whether to do it or not.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A jargon is, very obviously, not a jargon to those who habitually use it but as long as there are people to whom it sounds a jargon, then it is a jargon (not to be confused with technical terms).

"A jargon"? Isn't jargon (like "flour", "ink" and "milk") an uncountable noun?

I don't think that this is a valid definition of "jargon", dovers - surely there has to be an element of people not understanding a word/term. Everybody knows what a "Gig" is - even the ones who claim to dislike it.

Gig used by R3 presenter(s) certainly sounds pretentious to say the least.

Again, I'm not sure about the accuracy of your choice of "pretentious" in this context; wouldn't they have to use more "high-falutin" vocabulary in order to be "pretentious"? Because "gig" is so well-known and widely-used, how would it be an affected attempt to impress listeners to R3?

[MrGongGong]

Again, I'm not sure about the accuracy of your choice of "pretentious" in this context; wouldn't they have to use more "high-falutin" vocabulary in order to be "pretentious"? Because "gig" is so well-known and widely-used, how would it be an affected attempt to impress listeners to R3?

How many other members of the "Pretentious Classical Music Elitists" facebook group are in here as well ?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

How many other members of the "Pretentious Classical Music Elitists" facebook group are in here as well ?

Well, there doesn't need to be any - just people who aren't used to and who don't like the word (for whatever reason). If I've been a bit bullish, I think it was in reaction to Alpie's intemperate (and etymologically incorrect) blanket implication that the spreading popularity of the word began "with those who thought it made them sound 'cool'".

[MrGongGong]

Well, there doesn't need to be any - just people who aren't used to and who don't like the word (for whatever reason). If I've been a bit bullish, I think it was in reaction to Alpie's intemperate (and etymologically incorrect) blanket implication that the spreading popularity of the word began "with those who thought it made them sound 'cool'".

Indeed there doesn't
But I do find some of those folks don't take themselves so seriously as others one might encounter

I think i'll carry on using the word Gig
if it's good enough for Mr Arditti & Vengerov then it'll do for me

[Bryn]

. . . - It is for all these reasons that it has become a favourite amongst the "younger" (the definition of which here seems to be "those under sixty") listeners to "Classical" Music.

'cept I have a number of octogenarian 'classical music' performing friends who most definitely gig, and you have met and performed with some of them.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

'cept I have a number of octogenarian 'classical music' performing friends who most definitely gig, and you have met and performed with some of them.

Absolutely!

[french frank]

Who are you and what have you done with our frenchie?!

That it is self-evidently much more than "just a word" is evidenced by the flurry of furious jowl-flapping that it has occasioned on this Thread. I stand by my fondness for the word and second gurne's comments:

You have every right to be fond of it, and to find it a 'lovely, friendly word'. But to me, as a word it doesn't itself have the capacity to be 'friendly'. Equally, to me, it is a word which has meanings, contexts, users …

- It is for all these reasons that it has become a favourite amongst the "younger" (the definition of which here seems to be "those under sixty") listeners to "Classical" Music.

I could continue to be picky here. I'm not sure that it is even a favourite among the under sixties listeners to "classical" music. Some people use it, others don't. Why anyone should "dislike" it, I have no idea. The people who use it, the contexts in which they use it and the company in which they use it are a) up to them and b) may cause others to, heaven help us, form "an opinion" about such usage To each his own as far as I'm concerned! I'm easy.

[DracoM]

You have every right to be fond of it, and to find it a 'lovely, friendly word'. But to me, as a word it doesn't itself have the capacity to be 'friendly'. Equally, to me, it is a word which has meanings, contexts, users …



I could continue to be picky here. I'm not sure that it is even a favourite among the under sixties listeners to "classical" music. Some people use it, others don't. Why anyone should "dislike" it, I have no idea. The people who use it, the contexts in which they use it and the company in which they use it are a) up to them and b) may cause others to, heaven help us, form "an opinion" about such usage To each his own as far as I'm concerned! I'm easy.

[ahinton]

Indeed there doesn't
But I do find some of those folks don't take themselves so seriously as others one might encounter

I think i'll carry on using the word Gig
if it's good enough for Mr Arditti & Vengerov then it'll do for me

Oui, bien sur!

[french frank]

I'd like to reprise the point about the word 'favourite': I think that most people speak in the way they do instinctively, without thinking about it too much. If they hear words and phrases a lot in the circles where they move, they will tend to use them too. We often notice that words suddenly become more commonly used: curate, uptick &c. I don't think people necessarily choose those words deliberately. They just come to mind more readily.

[doversoul1]

"A jargon"? Isn't jargon (like "flour", "ink" and "milk") an uncountable noun?

Duly corrected (thank you for pointing it out)

I don't think that this is a valid definition of "jargon", dovers - surely there has to be an element of people not understanding a word/term. Everybody knows what a "Gig" is - even the ones who claim to dislike it.

Again, I'm not sure about the accuracy of your choice of "pretentious" in this context; wouldn't they have to use more "high-falutin" vocabulary in order to be "pretentious"? Because "gig" is so well-known and widely-used, how would it be an affected attempt to impress listeners to R3?

I knew what a gig was when used with reference to jazz and other live popular music events but didn’t know a classical music concert/recital was also called a gig until very recently when I heard it on Radio 3 or read it on R3’s webpage.

Jargon is not to do with the word being understood or not. It’s more to do with the user’s sense or expression of being IN a/the group (that’s why the word loses the (jargon) value once it is used by everyone). I think that’s why the word doesn’t sound quite right when used by a R3’s presenter. It sounds as if s/he is trying show off.

You cannot claim to dislike it if you don’t know the word or how it is used. In other words, some people disliking it does not mean everyone knows the word.

(I'm sorry I couldn't do the separate quotes. I hope it makes sense)

[french frank]

Jargon is not to do with the word being understood or not. It’s more to do with the user’s sense or expression of being IN a/the group (that’s why the word loses the (jargon) value once it is used by everyone).

I'm surprised to see that for the OED, the implication behind this meaning is that it is used 'contemptuously'.

Applied contemptuously to any mode of speech abounding in unfamiliar terms, or peculiar to a particular set of persons, as the language of scholars or philosophers, the terminology of a science or art, or the cant of a class, sect, trade, or profession

Though the article appears not to have been updated since 1900 when it was written.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm surprised to see that for the OED, the implication behind this meaning is that it is used 'contemptuously'.

Applied contemptuously to any mode of speech abounding in unfamiliar terms, or peculiar to a particular set of persons, as the language of scholars or philosophers, the terminology of a science or art, or the cant of a class, sect, trade, or profession

Though the article appears not to have been updated since 1900 when it was written.