This article under the above title first appeared in l’express sometime in April 1995. I have thought a revised second edition would still interest readers, especially the youngsters.

I have always wanted to…convey my reflections on just ‘ONE WORD’.

Sometimes one word can mean a lot. Only the right word in the right place! Of course, this is convenient to the flow and proper understanding of a passage. Or, it could well be a word of love, sympathy or encouragement in a given context. My personal daily and scientific experience of ONE WORD has proved useful on more than one occasion.

Those of you who have had the chance of seeing the film THE GRADUATE (French version: le lauréat) in the late sixties will surely remember the scene where Dustin Hoffman, a college graduate, is told by one businessman to remember just one word: PLASTIC. (Old films can be available on CD. The soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel is a classical and enjoyable one. It is still a pleasure to listen to Mrs Robinson or the Sound of Silence.) Right away one can visualise and realise the scope and importance plastic has played in our lives since its inception. But plastic is now reckoned to be al- so a big threat to the earthly and marine environments. In a back issue of Newsweek magazine I was delighted to come across the same reference, but where the columnist lays emphasis on CARDBOARD as having been more successful than plastic. We also, interestingly enough, in the same article meet with a rare collector of cereal cardboxes: Corn Flakes, Rice Crispies, Shredded Wheat and others.

I also remember our Mathematics teacher in the Sixth Form referring to the word LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). Lasers have since then been used in various fields: medical, military, industrial and commercial. Lasers, by virtue of its potential for very accurate focusing on tiny areas, are applied to many types of surgical procedures such as tumour removal, in eye surgery for repairing detached retinas, reshaping the cornea and in cosmetic surgery to remove tattoos. In the military area lasers are used in communication, defensive counter-measures and guiding missiles. Lasers find applications in barcode scanners for high speed reading of linear codes or stacked symbols. We are now only too familiar with laser lighting displays on their own or accompanying musical concerts.

Association of ideas

As a university student on holidays in the fair city of Dublin in Ireland I met with many of our compatriots who were studying medicine. One of them happened to mention a useful word in the medical context but which can be applied to many other situations: ’FUNCTIONAL’. We have heard of this word in the designs of the rooms of a house or devices as opposed to aesthetic considerations.

Very often titles of essays given to students carry just one word, to quote: ARCHITECTURE, BOOKS, COMPUTERS, DEMOCRACY, FRIENDSHIP, HOMEWORK, LIES, SPORTS, TELEVISION and yet one can produce a dissertation of a thousand words on each of these. I remember starting my essay on LIES : “Who does not lie?” How about that?!

One word or several words picked up when attending a lecture can make a whole difference in the understanding, appreciation and recollection of the subject. One word very often leads to another and here we are reminded of the concept of association of ideas. Like hearing an old song brings back distant memories.

It is interesting to note that reference retrieval, for instance, in the scientific literature in our computer age nowadays require SINGLE KEY WORDS. One word can unfold a mine of information on a given specialised subject be it the genetic material, DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid), CANCER or CHROMATOGRAPHY. Other words also lead to exploration of specific aspects such as METABOLISM or ANALYSIS.

Sometimes we rack our brain to search for the one word be it a synonym, one exact word or one that will fit in a crossword puzzle! Some recent research re- ported that women find the right words faster and use a variety of words!

Words are the tools of lawyers. So you can imagine the long debates surrounding just one word in a court of law. As a forensic scientist and expert witness, having been examined by prosecuting counsel or cross-examined at length by defence lawyers on numerous occasions, I can bear testimony to this. One word in a piece of legislation can also make all the difference in terms of interpretation and application.

Some people often try to impress in their conversation by dropping specific words or names but that is another story.

In order not to forget jokes, when required on social occasions, I recommend the use of a card carrying ONE WORD reminders that will trigger the series

I am sure other readers have also reflected on the above ideas and would care to add to the above examples.

Last but not least, do we not frequently or traditionally hear at the end of discussions and debates on radio and television the presenter asking the participants for the end-word? (Le mot de la fin !)