Make Your Point > Archived Issues > LUDDITE

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connect today's word to others: Today's word might be one of my dad's favorites. :) You won't bump into any Luddites in the Apple store or in The Sharper Image: they hate new gadgets and gizmos. But ne_____iacs love those things: they obsess over anything new and novel. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "LUDDITE" Originally, Luddites were a group of English textile workers in the 1810s who purposefully destroyed equipment that produced textiles better and faster. These folks smashed the machinery as a form of protest, of course, not because they actually hated the machines. That'd be silly. Still, today, a Luddite is someone who hates or resists new technology. "Luddite" is also an adjective. Luddite things have to do with hating or resisting new technology. Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one Luddite or multiple Luddites.) Other forms: Luddites, & Luddism or Ludditism. How to use it: When you use this word, your tone might be gentle: "our sweet old Luddite of a grandfather," "I'm such a Luddite; how does this app work?" Or it might be harsh: "these Luddites dragging down society." You might call someone in particular a Luddite, or you might talk about Luddites as a general group: "I agree with the Luddites; I don't want push notifications on my wristwatch." Because it's somewhat silly and backwards to be a Luddite, we often use this word along with a negative one like "no" or "not:" "He's no Luddite," "They're just wary of new technology; they're not Luddites," "The group isn't just a bunch of Luddites longing for yesteryear," "She's not a Luddite, but...," "Well, I don't want to sound like a Luddite, but..." We can use "Luddite" like an adjective to talk about Luddite views and attitudes and perspectives, Luddite reactions, Luddite fits and resistance, and so on. Notice how I keep capitalizing "Luddite"? I recommend sticking with the capital letter, though the lowercase might be catching on. examples: Dad, who still refuses to buy a cell phone or make a Facebook account, jokes about being a Luddite. It irks me when Luddites talk about how their computers hate them. Computers don't emote. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "Luddite" means when you can explain it without saying "opposed to innovation" or "uncomfortable with technological progress." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The Luddite in me prefers (something old-fashioned) to (the newer, higher-tech version of it)." Example: "The Luddite in me prefers the heft of a chunky paperback to the sleek lightness of an e-reader." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: In reference to people born between, approximately, the 1980's and the mid 1990's, was the word MILLENNIAL coined by the psychologist Albert Bandura, the advertising executive Sir John Hegarty, or the historians William Strauss and Neil Howe? Answer: It was the historians, Strauss and Howe, who wrote about millennials and other groups in their book Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. One review of that book called it "about as vague and plausible as astrological predictions." Ouch! Try this today: Did William Shakespeare (1564-1616) coin the word BREACH, BEDROOM, or BLOCKADE? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of LUDDISM is A. EXTRAVAGANCE. B. TECHNOPHILIA. C. PYROMANIA. 2. When I _____, the cashier stared at me like I was a Luddite. A. had to try sixteen times to insert my card properly into the chip reader B. put only a single green bean onto the conveyor belt C. handed her a large bill Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A