Google groups and pedantry

Yes, it’s time for my pedantic nature to rear its head again, I think. Why?

Well the PBEM Amber game is being conducted using a Google Group. Which for the most part seems to be working very well. You can set it so that you receive the messages on your email account or, as I have it set, you just read them on the group. That does require that I actually check the group frequently, but it’s not like I’m not a compulsive checker of websites or anything. And there are ways of uploading files to there, having pages that everyone can see (for general information and stuff), which is all very useful.

But when you start a new discussion thread, there’s something that bothers me. Quite a bit, and I’ve only started two new discussion threads so far. What is this terrible thing, you ask? Is it a misplaced apostrophe? No, possibly worse than that! It’s the dread misuse of “momentarily”. As in, after you’ve posted your message, a page appears showing the following sentence:

Your message will appear in Amber Online momentarily.

Now this is obviously not what they mean. What they mean is that a message will appear presently. Or soon. If it were to appear momentarily, it would have to subsequently disappear. And that wouldn’t be good. At least I think not.

On the other hand, Jason is telling me that English is a living language and that it will inevitably evolve. And that I therefore need to get over this. But there are perfectly good other words that cover that meaning. And momentarily means something else.  I think this is one worth fighting for, even if it’s not a battle that I can win. But then again, I still believe in using the subjunctive, and I think most everyone else considers that battle lost quite some time ago.