Re: Why does the meaning of words change?

--- John Cowan <cowan@...> wrote:
> Carsten Becker scripsit:
>
> > My question is already posted in the header of
> this mail: Why does the
> > meaning of words change during the centuries,
> sometimes even radically?
<snip>

> In our own time, the word "store" (in the sense
> "storage facility")
> has been out-competed by the metaphorical term
> "memory" for the device
> a computer uses to keep track of its ones and zeros?
>  Why?  Americans
> generally speaking out-competed the British in the
> early days of the
> computer industry.  But why did the Americans choose
> a metaphorical
> term, the British a literal one?
I think the main "reason" for this choice is that the
phrase "computer store" would have been hoplessly
confusing if it had been used to refer both to
computer memory and to a retail shop that sells PCs.

I remember back when I first started programming in
1963 the terms "memory", "store", "storage", "RAM",
and "core" were all used interchangibly, although in
the US "storage" was more popular than "store".  I
suspect this was because phrases like "store into
store" just don't sound right where "store into
storage" sounds better.

Also, "store" sounds like a singular as in "the
store", but to a programmer thinking of memory as
plural or as a mass noun makes more sense logically.
Thus "store" doesn't express the "massness" of the
noun.  Even from the very beginning as a newbie
programmer in the 60's I was uncomfortable with
"store", but I can't tell you why.  It was being used
by my peers, but is grated on my ears.  I prefered
"storage", but that one faded away too.  Then
gradually over the years "RAM" and "memory" seemed to
edge out the others.

--gary

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