In Germany they love using English words, especially when it comes to sports: fitness, surfen (btw. a false friend), trend sports (!), spinning, aerobics, the list goes on. Some have become so ingrained that the German word well-nigh extinct, e.g. jogging is always used instead of 'Dauerlauf'.
One that really gets me is 'wellness'. I looked it up at dictionary.com and they had this to say:
The word is first recorded in 1654 but has never been given the acceptance of its antonym illness. In the most recent survey 68 percent of the Usage Panel found the word unacceptable in the sentence A number of corporations have implemented employee wellness programs, aimed at enhancing spiritual values, emotional stability, fitness, and nutrition.
Does anyone EVER use this or hear it used?
If not, can't we just scrap it?
In South Africa it has quite wide currency among devotees of alternative medicine and other enlightened doctrines (or flakey cults, depending on your point of view). The word "holistic" is usually not more than 2 sentences away. This seems to you agree with your mention of "wellness programs, aimed at enhancing spiritual values, emotional stability, fitness, and nutrition".
At first it used to really grate on my ear especially as it was usually used in that softly spoken, excessively self-righteous manner that is adopted by people who believe they and they alone have penetrated the universe's deepest secrets. But now I have grown used to it and can hear it without cringing.
Perhaps if it has connotations that are wider than (purely physical) health it does serve some purpose? And "wellbeing" isn't quite the same and really is a bit unwieldy.
>In the most recent survey 68 percent of the Usage Panel found the word unacceptable in the sentence A number of corporations have implemented employee wellness programs, aimed at enhancing spiritual values, emotional stability, fitness, and nutrition.
BY:
I may have become inured, but this doesn't sound unacceptable to mo. When someone speaks of a wellness program in the workplace context I have a very good idea what they mean. What word wouldst thou use to replace wellness in the sentence you cited above?
TEd
In this area, I don't know about the rest of the U.S., it's used in the expression Wellness Clinic, which is generally a community medical clinic, specializing in but not limited to pediatric care, devoted more to preventive medicine than intervention. They sponsor well-baby clinic days, the idea being that you bring in a healthy baby for checkup to keep him/her healthy and give inoculations, etc.
But surely the driving force behind this usage is the (possibly well-intentioned) PC view that the focus "must be positive - don't refer to illness!!" This, and the lack of euphony, is what makes me cringe.
Here in NY too, Byb. NYC used to have "well-baby" clinics, totally free, and no "needs" requirements. both of my kids got most of their inoculations, lead test, TB tine test and general physicals there. (my Mother-in Law at the time was a NYC PH service nurse, and worked in the Well baby clinic--so our "first visit" was as much to for her to show off her grandson as it was for her grandson to be weighed and meaured.)
Most of the well baby clinics have closed... now many hospitals have similar "wellness programs" to help kids get inoculations, etc.
as an aside, even for people who have health care insurance in US, it is often only for illness, not wellness, and normal check ups are not always "covered"-- a sick baby will be treated for free, but to get an inoculations there is a fee!
It may just be me, but I seem to find "wellness" most often associated with alternative and/or off-the-wall medical approaches. Iridology and aroma therapy are two that come to mind.
Ted wrote:
What word wouldst thou use to replace wellness in the sentence you cited above?
That's a fair question. In German they have a word for it, 'Kur', which btw all tax payers receive by law. In English that's a course of treatment or a cure, but that's is not as esoterical as these wellness farms, wellness programmes and what not. Finding a replacement word would be hard, but that's no wonder; if one spoke of visiting a course on well-being I'm sure more than a few eyebrows would be raised.I find whole concept of a wellness whatever very questionable. mumble, mumble.
I've not noticed wellness used so much here, but I could be out of date.
The local doctors had lots of different clinics. The baby clinic was just the clinic as it was expected that people took their babies fairly regularly to check their weight etc. They had Well Woman & Well Man check ups but I'm not sure if they have transmogrified to Wellness Clinics. I heartily dislike the name, so I hope not.
..currency among devotees of alternative medicine
In Europe the term is not primarily used in this context. On the contrary, I see its revival as a clever marketing trick designed to create new demand for services, among people who are well-off, a bit frustrated, but too lazy to practice fitness training. In countries lacking wellfare, "wellness" is probably not widely used.
In reply to:
Ted wrote:
What word wouldst thou use to replace wellness in the sentence you cited above?
That's a fair question. In German they have a word for it, 'Kur', which btw all tax payers receive by law. In English that's a course of treatment or a cure, but that's is not as esoterical as these wellness farms, wellness programmes and what not. Finding a replacement word would be hard, but that's no wonder; if one spoke of visiting a course on well-being I'm sure more than a few eyebrows would be raised.I find whole concept of a wellness whatever very questionable. mumble, mumble.
Looks to me like wellness fits quite well into a niche for which we have need of a filler. I vote to keep it.