[Ads-l] New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the bandwidth" as metaphor

[Laurence Horn]

Ah, OK.  Not a question of age cohort, then, but of my sheltered lifestyle.  I stand updated.

LH

> On Jun 20, 2016, at 1:36 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> It's pretty common in the nonprofit world.
> 
> Here's an article from 2012:
> 
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__brightplus3.com_bright-2Dideas_the-2Dscarcest-2Dresource-2Dat-2Dnonprofits-2Dis-2Dbandwidth-2Dperiod_-23.V2gn8hkpDqA&d=CwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=dBuxBqogwKLOK9LqZJyXgLyKlxs3Yq7XzRiEQo6QTUk&s=dkIItP2YqUbEme0PzSF18GDKFzkiGm9aCqH2MOD06TE&e= 
> 
> Dan Goncharoff
> PortSide NewYork
> portsidenewyork.org
> On Jun 20, 2016 1:21 PM, "Geoffrey Steven Nathan" <geoffnathan at wayne.edu>
> wrote:
> 
>> I can report that, while living in the midst of the technical IT world I
>> have heard this term for at least a couple of years in the metaphorical
>> sense, and it is used completely unself-consciously.
>> 
>> 
>> Also used is the related metaphor of being able to 'spare a few cycles' to
>> help with some project (in the sense of computer operations as measured in
>> cycles per second (actually, these days, usually Giga-cycles per second).
>> Sometimes also 'sorry, I can't help--I don't have the cycles available'.
>> Don't have actual cites at this point.
>> 
>> 
>> Geoff
>> 
>> 
>> Geoffrey S. Nathan
>> WSU Information Privacy Officer
>> Professor, Linguistics Program
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__blogs.wayne.edu_proftech_&d=CwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=dBuxBqogwKLOK9LqZJyXgLyKlxs3Yq7XzRiEQo6QTUk&s=6IikmShNV6ks32C_fV88eQdjfvX4IQJrJ9KF7Q_WxNo&e= 
>> +1 (313) 577-1259
>> 
>> Nobody at Wayne State will EVER ask you for your password. Never send it
>> to anyone in an email, no matter how authentic the email looks.
>> 
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>> Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>> Sent: Monday, June 20, 2016 1:12 PM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the bandwidth" as
>> metaphor
>> 
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>> Subject:      New (to me) negative polarity item--"(not) have the
>> bandwidth" as
>>              metaphor
>> 
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> Here's urban dictionary:
>> 
>> BANDWIDTH
>> ability (or lack of ability) to complete work given the available =
>> resources (people, time, money, etc.)
>> 
>> Since we can't afford to replace the guy who just quit, our department =
>> doesn't have enough bandwidth to take on new projects right now.=20
>> 
>> Joe's so overworked, he doesn't even have the bandwidth to train his new =
>> assistant.
>> 
>> #work #time #ability #capacity #workload
>> by amphora October 25, 2006
>> 
>> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>> My daughter (age 31) just used it in referring to a friend who, given =
>> her 12-hour shifts at her new nursing job, "doesn't have the bandwidth" =
>> for various other things.  Not being 31 (and not having a boyfriend at =
>> Google), I'd never encountered metaphorical bandwidth before.  I haven't =
>> checked "Among The New Words", which probably has a relevant decade-old =
>> entry. =20
>> 
>> LH=
>> 
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