Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> English speakers in India use the word “revert” in email a lot more often than Americans do, because there it can mean “reply”, as in “I will revert with that information later today.”

That's not just an issue of frequency but redefinition. I read about English-speaking Indians using the word "prepone" to mean "pushed forward" (as an inverse of "postpone"), and they were shocked when non-Indian English speakers didn't know what they were saying -- because it's not a word in British or American English, and AFAIK it's not a word in among any other native speaking English societies.

Neologisms and re-definitions aren't inherently bad, but it can make communication more difficult.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: