| 词组 | viable |
| 释义 | viable This adjective, which literally means "capable of living" (as in "a viable fetus"), has been much criticized as a vogue word that is imprecisely used in place of such established alternatives as workable and practical. It is not a new word; the OED shows that it has been used in both literal and figurative senses since the middle of the 19th century. Its use, however, has become common only in recent decades. Our evidence shows that its rise in popularity began in the 1940s: • ... the chances of a viable international order — Max Lerner, New Republic, 7 July 1941 • A viable society is one in which those who have qualified themselves to see indicate the goals to be aimed at —Aldous Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, 1945 • ... the restoration of truly viable peacetime conditions —Commonweal, 31 May 1946 By the 1950s it had become a common word—common enough to attract unfavorable attention: • The last word on our list, viable, is threatening to become as fashionable among intellectuals and their camp-followers as are ambivalent and dichotomy — Ben Ray Redman, Saturday Rev., 2 Mar. 1957 Commentators who have criticized viable in the years since include Flesch 1964, Gowers in Fowler 1965, Newman 1974, Harper 1975, 1985, Phythian 1979, and Bryson 1984, among others. The repeated criticism has had no apparent effect on the word's popularity: • Is it possible that feminist concerns... are no longer viable as subjects for serious fiction? —Joyce Carol Oates, N.Y. Times Book Rev., 21 Nov. 1976 • ... the ability to plan and finance a viable presidential campaign —Carll Tucker, Saturday Rev., 21 July 1979 • If... performing arts and cultural programs on TV become commercially viable —Peter Caranicas, Saturday Rev., January 1981 • ... that the new league, slimmed down to 16, would be more viable —Clive Gammon, Sports Illustrated, 5 Oct. 1981 • ... NASA worked out a viable relationship with J.P.L. and Cal Tech —Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr., N. Y. Times Book Rev., 9 Jan. 1983 Dictionaries recognize these uses of viable as standard, and so should you, but you may also want to approach this word with some caution. The voluminous evidence that we have collected testifies to its being a heavily used—and some would say overused—word. Misgivings about this word may be particularly in order with respect to its use in the phrase viable alternative, as this phrase, innocuous as in itself it really is, is so frequently used that it is sure to strike some readers or listeners as a cliché. |
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