User:Cnilep/Factlet
Factlet is a term which describes a trivial and ephemeral fact which is nevertheless accurate.[1] New York Times writer William Safire in his On Language column advocated the use of the word factlet to mean "a brief fact" to express a "little bit of arcana".[2] A report in The Guardian identified Safire as the writer who coined the term factlet,[3] although Safire's 1993 column suggested factlet was already in use at that time.[2]
Factlet versus factoid[edit]
The term factlet came into existence mostly as a result of ambiguity about the word factoid. This latter term was coined by writer Norman Mailer in his 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe,[3] but by 1993 had grown to have several, sometimes conflicting, meanings.[2] In 1993 Safire identified contrasting senses of factoid:
- factoid: accusatory: "misinformation purporting to be factual; or, a phony statistic."[2]
- factoid: neutral: "seemingly though not necessarily factual"[2]
- factoid: the CNN version: "a little-known bit of information; trivial but interesting data."[2]
For some, factoid signified a questionable or spurious piece of information, unverified, incorrect, or fabricated, that is, a brief statement which appears factual but lacks veracity; for others, it signified a small piece of true but valueless or insignificant information, which is in contrast to the original sense as being incorrect or unverified; for example, a report in The Atlantic in 2012 suggested that factoid has come to mean a "brief interesting fact".[4]
As a result of confusion over the meaning of factoid, some English-language style and usage guides began to recommend against using factoid.[5] The Atlantic agreed with Safire, and recommended factlet instead of factoid, such that factlet would signify a "small probably unimportant but interesting fact", and that the term be used in place of factoid, which often has negative connotations.[4] The term factlet has been used in publications such as Mother Jones,[6] the San Jose Mercury News,[7] and in the Reno Gazette Journal.[8]
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ December 20, 2005, The Urban Dictionary, Factlet, Accessed June 9, 2014
- ^ a b c d e f William Safire, December 5, 1993, The New York Times, On Language; Only the Factoids, Accessed June 15, 2014
- ^ a b David Marsh, 17 January 2014, The Guardian, A factoid is not a small fact. Fact: A factoid is subtly different from a trivial fact, whatever Steve Wright may claim, Accessed June 16, 2014, "... US writer William Safire felt a new word was needed to differentiate between the two meanings, proposing "factlet" to mean small fact or "little bit of arcana"...."
- ^ a b Alexis C. Madrigal, March 29 2012, The Atlantic, Down With Factoid! Up With Factlet!, Accessed June 9, 2014, "..."Factoid is now almost exclusively used to mean a brief interesting fact ... ought instead to use another word for a small probably unimportant but interesting fact..."
- ^ Brians, Paul (2003). Common Errors in English Usage. William James & Company. ISBN 1-887902-89-9. [1]
- ^ Kevin Drum, April 19, 2010 , Mother Jones, Factlet of the Day, Accessed June 9, 2014
- ^ Jackie Burrell, May 19, 2014, The San Jose Mercury News, Amazing Race All-Star Winners: And the winner is (spoiler!!), Accessed June 9, 2014, "...Brendan has promised his bride that if they win the million bucks, she can have a baby, a factlet that keeps coming up in the most manipulative and unsavory ways..." (italics added)
- ^ Johnathan L. Wright, RGJ , May 26, 2014, Reno Gazette Journal, In One Ear: Cherchez the sparkle at jewelry fundraiser; Cakebread dinner, Accessed June 9, 2014, "...The chardonnay made its entrance next on the arm of rabbit loin wrapped in serrano ham (little food factlet for you: serrano ham couldn't be imported to the United States until 1997, when the pigs used in the ham were certified as free from African swine disease)..." (italics added)