Lately I’ve been hearing more and more abuse of the suffix “wise” by
people trying to make themselves sound more important.
During the recent World Series, a TV announcer reassured us that New York Yankees ace pitcher Gerrit Cole hadn’t
changed “demeanor-wise” after giving up a game changing grand slam to
the Los Angeles Dodgers. Grammar-wise and word-economy-wise, the announcer could
have simply said: “Cole’s demeanor hasn’t changed” or better yet “Cole hasn’t
lost his composure.” The announcer was a highly paid professional communicator.
He didn’t have to be so lazy.
Acceptable uses of "-wise" do exist,
particularly in established words like "clockwise" (the direction of
the clock) or "lengthwise," (the direction of measurement taken) in
which the suffix genuinely adds meaning. However, taking it upon yourself to
create new "-wise" words is ineffective communication and generally
not, Hmmmm, wise if you want to be taken seriously as a writer, speaker or
leader.
Here are some reasons why:
1.
Grammatical Awkwardness. When "-wise"
is added unnecessarily, it creates clunky, unnatural-sounding language. Many of
these constructions sound forced or simply incorrect. For example,
"moneywise" or "weatherwise" often feel grammatically
jarring.
2.
Redundancy. In many cases, there are already
established and more elegant ways to express the same meaning. Instead of
saying "budgetwise," you could simply say "regarding the
budget" or "in terms of the budget."
3.
Overuse in Business and Corporate Jargon. The
"-wise" suffix has become a particularly notorious marker of
corporate buzzwords. How often do you say or write "businesswise"
or "performancewise"? It’s often seen as lazy language that
lacks precision and clarity.
4.
Potential Misunderstandings. Sometimes, these
"-wise" constructions can be ambiguous or confusing. The meaning
might not be immediately clear to all listeners or readers.
5.
Professional Communication Standards. In formal
writing, academic work, and professional communication, these constructions are
typically viewed as unprofessional and imprecise.
Another reason I don’t like the suffix “wise” is because it implies
you’re insecure or just stalling for time to find the right words:
“Budget-wise we’re on track, but time-wise, we not going to meet our
deadline.”
“Snow-wise the roads are clear, but weather-wise I’m not sure what’s coming.”
It’s frustrating for the listener, but we hear this all the time.
We’re all busy work-wise, so why not respect us time-wise and be more concise
grammar-wise? Are you cringing yet?
“Wise-ing” up every noun you come across is like listening to teens
and tweens use “like” every third word – “it’s like ridiculous.” It adds nothing.
It reminds me of returning to my native Philadelphia and hearing folks use the
word “jawn” to
refer to any type of person, place or thing under the sun. Similar to “like,”
jawn is a placeholder words that clog up communication flow and make you sound grammatically
lazy.
“Yo! Tony. Hand me that jawn over there so we can get this jawn
fixed already and go home!”
“Did you guys make it to the jawn last night? That place was jumping!”
Conclusion
I laugh when I see all the self-help books and videos offering to help people
expand their vocabularies. Why not just do a better job with the words we
already have. Before writing, speaking or posting, ask yourself if you’ve
chosen the right words to convey your intended meaning. A wise man once said: “You
can do more with less.”
Our free
resources have more.
What are you and your colleagues doing to streamline your
communication? I’d love to hear from you.
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