CONTENTS FEATURE: An incoherent tirade does not constitute a manifesto GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: An incoherent tirade does not constitute a manifesto      The meanings of many words in our language have changed over time. "Semantic shifts" in connotation or meaning usually are gradual, resulting from introduction of new technologies or societal trends. Words that have acquired new or different meanings or connotations during recent decades include "web," "green," "firewall," "gay" and "issues." Other words, though, have undergone reckless rather than graceful transformations. Such has been the fate of the word "manifesto."      Reaction was swift among people who read, heard or saw any of the contents of the package that Seung-Hui Cho mailed to NBC News during an interval in the April 16 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. Revulsed by what they saw, people characterized Cho's writing as disturbing, twisted, depraved, disjointed.      Yet beginning with NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams on April 18, innumerable broadcast and newspaper accounts began referring to Cho's collection of video files and documents as a "manifesto." In its coverage the following morning, for example, the Sacramento Bee referred to the contents as "snarling, profanity-laced video clips," a "rambling, 23-page written diatribe" and "rantings," but also referred to the material as a manifesto. ABC News, CBS News, CNN, the Fox News Channel, the Associated Press, the Reuters news agency and major daily newspapers across the country likewise picked up and repeated the term. Less than 48 hours after NBC news aired the contents of the package, an Internet search on Google identified 449,000 Web pages in which the term "manifesto" was used in connection with Seung-Hui Cho.      That is the same term that was applied to the writings of "unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski, titled "Industrial Society and its Future," which the Washington Post published in September 1995 in exchange for Kaczynski's promise to stop his bombings. The "Manifesto of the Communist Party" that Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote in 1847 was a guiding document for establishment of the Soviet Union. Mao Tse-tung (Zedong) wrote the "Manifesto of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" in 1947, two years before the Red Army that he commanded overthrew the government of Chiang Kai-Shek. The term "manifesto" also was widely used in reference to "Mein Kampf," Adolf Hitler's lunatic ravings.      The word "manifesto," however, does not necessarily connote revolution or sinister motives. Webster's New World College Dictionary (the Associated Press Stylebook's primary reference for word use) defines "manifesto" as "a public declaration of motives and intentions by a government or by a person or group regarded as having some public importance." Nearly identical is the American Heritage Dictionary's definition: "A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially of a political nature." Legitimate political parties in many nations issue manifestos to declare their platforms and proposals. The word is derived from the Latin "manifestus," meaning "clear" or "evident"—hardly characteristics of Cho's incoherent harangue.      The news media likely used the example of Kaczynski as rationale for reference to Cho's diatribe as a "manifesto" rather than any of several other applicable terms—for example, tirade, diatribe, invective, screed, fulmination, invective. Any of those terms would accurately convey the concept of an incoherent, anger-fueled discourse. The term "manifesto" inappropriately legitimizes Cho's delirious writings as important or significant, politically or otherwise.      Many people, however, may unwittingly associate the term "manifesto" with anguished or vengeful demands. If your organization is planning to publish a declaration of its principles and goals, should it be called a "manifesto"? In light of the widespread misuse of the term, you might want to consider characterizing it otherwise. Here are some possible terms. annunciation: an announcement or proclamation (also, the formal name of a religious observance) blueprint: detailed plan of action canon: a principle governing affairs within or among political units; or a body of principles, rules, standards and norms (also refers to a regulation or dogma decreed by a church council) commentary: an expository treatise, or an expression of opinion declaration: an explicit, formal announcement, either oral or written decree: an authoritative order, usually having the force of law or enacted by a religious council discourse: a formal, orderly and usually extended expression of thought on a subject dissertation: an extended written treatment of a subject, especially as part of the curriculum of a doctoral degree program edict: a decree or proclamation issued by an authority and having the force of law; or a formal pronouncement or command monograph: a scholarly treatise on a on a specific, narrowly defined subject platform: a formal declaration of the principles of an individual group, such as a candidate for elective office or a political party precept: a rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct précis: a concise summary of essential points, statements or facts proclamation: an official public announcement promulgation: a decree issued by public declaration pronouncement: a formal expression of opinion; a judgment; or an authoritative announcement pronunciamento: an official or authoritarian declaration; a proclamation or edict proposition: a plan suggested for consideration or acceptance; a proposal treatise: a systematic written exposition or argument encompassing a discussion of evidence, facts, and principles leading to a conclusion white paper: a detailed or authoritative report, particularly one issued by a government agency.      Choose terminology for your formal writing deliberately and carefully. Be sure to consider not only dictionary meanings but also the ways in which connotations of words may alter your reader's perceptions of the messages you are trying to convey. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions 1. Paul L. wrote:      "Can one be discontent? For example: 'I am discontent. Are you discontent?' Can you give me an example of 'discontent' as a transitive verb?" The grammar coach replies:      The word "discontent" refers to dissatisfaction or restless desire. It can be used as a noun, meaning either dissatisfaction or a person who is discontent; as an adjective, as in your example "I am discontent"; or as a transitive verb meaning "to make discontented"—as in, for example, "I often discontent friends with my choice of attire." It would in that sense be somewhat synonymous with the verbs "displease" or "disappoint." Most people would likely prefer either of those, however, because "discontent" is so infrequently used as a verb and therefore may sound odd to some people. 2. Jim B. wrote:      "A colleague of mine and I are having an issue with a bit of technical documentation he has written. He claims that the phrase 'user/workstation-specific' is correct. I opine use of the virgule and dash in the same phrase is poor, lazy grammar. I assume it's incorrect. He demands proof of my claim. I've searched high and low and have come up dry. Please advise whose stance is closer to propriety." The grammar coach replies:      The virgule or "slash" is equivalent to the preposition "or," to indicate alternatives as in an "on/off" switch. Your example phrase, "user/workstation-specific," appears to indicate something that is specific to either a user or a workstation.      If that is the intended meaning, the phrase is technically correct, yet stilted because it links two sets of compounds, resulting in an obtuse cluster of jargon. If the example phrase is intended to make reference to a software function that is "specific to either an individual user or to a workstation," it brusquely excludes words at the expense of clarity. We agree with you that a wording change to improve clarity would be preferable.      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn a finder's fee of up to $500      Do you know of a friend or colleague whose office can benefit from EditPros services? 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