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ImageSMART TALK

by Dr. Will S. Sert


MASS EXODUS: At the Center for English as a First Language, we get this redundancy occasionally from our patients. But more often, the staff curses and throws pretzels at the Fowler Lounge's TV when some ignoramus says it. Or just curses when mass exodus appears in the caption of a news photo of refugees.

Does anyone remember what the Exodus was? In the Biblical book of Exodus, which, strangely enough, is about the Exodus, not the Mass Exodus, thousands of Jews escape from slavery in Egypt. An exodus, by definition, refers to a mass, or multitude, of people leaving a place. An exodus from a stadium involves more than just the folks in the upper row.

Saying mass exodus is as silly as any use of the term mass media. The media are (yes, are: medium is just one, such as print journalism; media are all of them, radio, TV, magazines, all media) - anyway, the media are by definition aimed at the masses. A personal message to your sweetheart doesn't count as one of the media, but on line spam might, because it's a medium aiming to reach as many as possible. A mass of people.

Did I belabor the point enough to make it sink in? At least I did it without cursing. I just want people to sound as if English really were their first language.

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