Satellite TV company Sky had a promotional van parked in my local town centre today. Among the services and products being promoted was a "professional standard install". This could mean:
a) The standard install(ation) is professional. In which case, are the other installations unprofessional?
b) The install(ation) is of a professional standard. In which case, why is it not simply a professional install? Perhaps it's carried out by amateurs but to a professional standard...
Sky's professional standard install
Posted by
JD (The Engine Room)
on Monday 21 September 2009
Labels:
ambiguity,
hyphenation,
installation,
promotion,
satellite television,
Sky
4 comments:
That's a strange one, JD. Do you remember any of the other services and products being offered? A comparison might help to reduce the ambiguity.
Is install the new installation? A few months ago I heard someone on the radio talk about installating something: that's a back-formation I had never heard before.
Great example of a bracketing paradox.
Stan: Sadly not. I would have liked to take a picture of the van but my camera-phone is on the blink. If I spot the van again, I'll make a note of the other services that Sky is offering.
Oh, and Googling 'install' seems to suggest that it is quite commonly used as a noun in computing circles.
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