Another traditional tipoff that a pope has died is the ritual closing of the shutters of the two windows at the side of the pope’s apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square. Some say the closing of the shutters can be the first tangible sign of a death.
Despite those arcane traditions, first official word that John Paul had died came in e-mails sent by the Vatican press office to accredited journalists.
That marked a stark departure from the centuries-old traditions of one of the world’s most enduring institutions, the Roman Catholic Church. —William J. Kole —E-Mails Usurp Arcane Signs of Pope’s Death (Guardian | AP)
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Good point, Matt.
Note also that the bit about the e-mail is actually a very minor point in the story -- it was the headline writer who attached such great significance to the e-mail. Headline writers are trained to avoid passive verbs, and to inject action wherever possible.
Well, except on TV. Tonight, linguists continuing to investigate a recent phenomenon: participles usurping verbs.
The Guardian headline is a nice, tidy example of a very common rhetorical maneuver: it wasn't "email" that usurped the closing of the shutters and other traditional signs, it was the Vatican press office. Human agency (the individuals who sent the messages) and not the technology acting in some autonomous fashion.
This isn't quite technological determinism, I don't think . . . anyone got a better name for it?