Dork

[Michael McKernan]

 Benjamin Zimmer wrote:

>Who says the student was taking "pride" in being a grammar dork?  A Google
>search on "grammar dork" finds 147 examples, and it's usually ascribed to
>someone pejoratively (or to oneself in a self-deprecating manner: "I hate
>to be a grammar dork, but...").  As we all know, being a stickler for
>grammar is not exactly a source of pride for most of today's yout'.
>
>There are 2,230 hits for "grammar geek" and 730 for "grammar nerd" -- and
>those are mostly deprecating usages also.  Clearly it's the *computer*
>geek/nerd who has been rehabilitated, not the grammar geek/nerd (yet!).
>
>"Dork", when used in combining forms, appears limited to nebbish pursuits
>lacking much prestige in youthful circles.  "Band dork" appears pretty
>common (5,600 hits), as does "music dork" (3,270 hits).  There's also
>"theater/theatre dork" (739 hits).  And to go along with "grammar dork",
>there's "language dork" (122 hits) and "spelling dork" (118 hits).
>
>Compare also:
>
>"geek pride": 10,500
>"nerd pride":  3,940
>"dork pride":    641

Good.  Now we're getting somewhere. I used 'pride' based on Jonathan's
formulation:

>>Nowadays one may take pride in being a certain sort of "geek."  But a
>>"dork"?  Never.

Ben argues for self-deprecating usage of all of these terms; ok with me.
But in my (limited) experience, self-deprecation often is a tool to hide
'pride' in an ability or interest which is seen as low-status, especially
in high school/youth culture.  I suggest that Ben's data on 'band dork' and
'music dork', other arts/language usages, all show as much covert 'pride'
as put-down. Many high school musicians I know, for instance, are quite
proud of their musical abilities, although they don't choose to express
this pride in all social settings.

Likewise, Ben's data on 'grammar geek/nerd' as also 'deprecating: well,
we're seeing here a certain degree of synonymy, with nerd and dork showing
a substantial degree of interchangeability with geek, win/place/show.  If
there were good data, I suppose I could accept dork as term of choice for
low-status interests, but then, why do Ben's data show such high levels of
'grammar geek'?  Alliteration?

If, as Ben claims, only 'computer-geek/nerd' has been rehabilitated, then
it's not really the geek/nerd, is it?  the 'computer' carries the status,
and can anyone really believe that 'computer dork', should it come into
use, wouldn't have the same status? OK, here are some data:

'computer dork' 3,740 Google hits

So, do I hear an assertion that 'computer dorks' are unrehabilitated,
non-ameliorated, and clearly lower status than 'computer geeks' or
'computer nerds'?

I feel a need to repeat that I have no personal stake in the rehabilitation
of the dork. I may be a dork; if so, I'm a proud one. But I am interested
in both empirical studies and theoretical analysis of these terms.  So
please don't take offense if I question assertions.

BTW, is there something to be said about English four-letter (slang) words
beginning with a consonant and ending in 'k'?  Geek, dork, jerk, wonk,
dink, gook, etc.?



Michael McKernan