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

[Ben Zimmer]

Oxford Dictionaries defines the metaphorical extension as "the energy or
mental capacity required to deal with a situation," which sounds about
right.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/bandwidth

On Mon, Jun 20, 2016 at 2:26 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> (3) is what I take to be the literal meaning, and (2) is a different
> metaphorical use.  (1) is the closest to the relevant use (= to lack the
> time to do something because of too many other commitments), but if I
> explain "I can't help you send out the mailers because with the new job and
> the baby I simply don't have the bandwidth" it's not clear I'm talking
> about information volume, so I do think this is an additional broadening.
>
> LH
>
> > On Jun 20, 2016, at 2:14 PM, Dave Wilton <dave at WILTON.NET> wrote:
> >
> > It's at least 20 years old.
> >
> > From The Jargon File (4.4.7), 29 Dec 2003 (That's the version that's
> online
> > now; I don't know when this entry was written):
> >
> > "bandwidth: n.
> >
> > "1. [common] Used by hackers (in a generalization of its technical
> meaning)
> > as the volume of information per unit time that a computer, person, or
> > transmission medium can handle. 'Those are amazing graphics, but I missed
> > some of the detail - not enough bandwidth, I guess.' Compare
> low-bandwidth;
> > see also brainwidth. This generalized usage began to go mainstream after
> the
> > Internet population explosion of 1993-1994.
> >
> > "2. Attention span.
> >
> > "3. On Usenet, a measure of network capacity that is often wasted by
> people
> > complaining about how items posted by others are a waste of bandwidth."
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of
> > Laurence Horn
> > Sent: Monday, June 20, 2016 1:12 PM
> > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Subject: [ADS-L] 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.
> >
> > 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
> >
> > ==============
> > 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.
> >
> >
>

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