公务员事务局法定语文事务部 文讯WORD 第三十 .docVIP

公務員事務局法定語文事務部 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES DIVISION, CIVIL SERVICE BUREAU 文訊 WORD POWER 第五十期 二零一年月 Issue No.5 September 2013 From Smoke Signals to Smartphone Thanks to technology, we no longer need to rush to the telegraph office to send an expensive two-word message “Safely Arrived” to our family when we are on an overseas trip. Nor do we need to ask hotel telephone operators to put us through to our sweethearts. We will certainly not bother to write letters to our friends to recount our adventures on foreign shores. Letter writing is dismissed by many as a hobby for those who have time to kill. Today, simply stroking our fingers across the touch screen will let our family and friends know instantly what we are doing, with stories vividly told by pictures, emoticons and music. People in the past were, however, not as lucky as we are. Before handy gadgets were brought into existence, smoke signals were considered a smart way for long-distance communication. If the forefathers of today’s Native Americans were brought back to life, they would jump for joy as they would not have to burn damp grass halfway up the hill to tell their tribesmen that all was well. Nor would they have to climb up to the hilltop to send smoke signals to warn them of imminent dangers. Powerful and versatile gadgets would save them the trouble. The rapid development of electronic communication has reshaped the world. The landline phone, once considered the greatest invention in the world, has been surpassed by the smartphone, which allows people to stay connected wherever they are. Also, the emergence of a large number of social-networking sites has redefined the meaning of “friends”, who are now not only people you know well and like, but also those whose backgrounds and interests are mysteries to you. They are called “cyber friends”. Many people, especially introverted ones, enjoy this kind of cyber friendship, and have so much to share with strangers in chat rooms. To chat online, th