Two words somehow became issues of debate during our last meeting:
(1) Pen drive
(2) Monograph
As to (1) even though it is among one of the technically correct terms to refer to a USB drive both in Britain and in the US, its level of frequency is close to non-existent. You’ll be on the safe side if you refer to that gadget as a flash drive. The same holds true for (2), which refers to A scholarly piece of writing of essay or book length on a specific, often limited subject. Monographs are dealt differently in the US and in Britain from the way the so-called “monografias” are dealt in Brazilian Colleges and Universities. Nevertheless in the absence of a better term, monograph may be used (to a certain extent) in English in the same context as the word “monografia” in Portuguese.
3 comments:
Hello CAE Madureira!
I would add "jump drive" to the list of alternatives for "pen drive." I say jump drive more often than flash drive, but I am in the US and can't speak to the usage in Britain.
As for "monograph" I understand it to mean a type of scholarly publication that is focused on a very specific subject (with perhaps a limited readership). Here are some additional terms for academic publications that are more commonly used in the US: case study (or study), thesis, essay, paper.
I happened to find an interesting article about the history of monographs online: http://www.upress.umn.edu/about-us/history-and-fact-sheet-folder/what-was-a-university-press-1/iii.-the-monograph
Thanks a million, Laurel!
Great! Thanks, Levi and Laurel! xxx
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