Incite, Incentive, Incent, Incentivize

Incite, Incentive, Incent, Incentivize Incite, Incentive, Incent, Incentivize Incite, Incentive, Incent, Incentivize By Maeve Maddox The first two words in the title, incite and incentive, have been in the language a long time: incite (1483) verb: to urge or spur on incentive (1475) noun: something that arouses feeling or incites to action. The verbs incent and incentivize are later arrivals that currently offend the sensibilities of many speakers: Some neologisms deserve to be throttled, wrapped up in black plastic, and dropped into the deepest crevices of the  Marianas Trench as soon as they are created. Two such words are  incent  and  incentivize. –Writing, Clear and Simple (2007) Does it bug you when you hear a word that’s not really a word–Take this example: incent. I hear this all the time, especially in business. As in, â€Å"What can we do to incent our staff to work harder?† –Edit This Blog (2011) You receive incentives to incentivize you. What do you get when youre incented? Incents? Incention?–Commenter reacting to another reader’s defense of incent. The verb incent, a backformation of the noun incentive, has an OED entry that documents the forms incented and incenting, but none for plain incent. The earliest citation is from 1844: â€Å"Incented by the stupid ambition of an ignorant mother, she thought that the purse of the one was far superior to the heart of the other.† The most recent (1997) identifies incent as not quite standard by enclosing it in quotations: â€Å"Workers need to be ‘incented’ with bonuses, stock options, and dispersed decision-making.† The verb incentivize first appears on the Ngram Viewer in the late 1950s, but doesn’t make much of a showing until the 1980s, when it begins to soar. Since then it has become a staple of business vocabulary. How can health plans incentivize members to take care of their health? Use objective measures to incentivize midlevel providers for increased productivity. FDA outlines plan to incentivize high-quality manufacturing. All of the words in this group derive from Latin incendÄ•re, â€Å"to kindle, set on fire.† An incentive is something that provokes a person to action. â€Å"Incentive pay† is documented from 1943. The noun incentive in the sense of payment to encourage a worker dates from 1948. Some readers object to both incent and incentivize, preferring the phrase â€Å"offer incentives to,† or the verb motivate. Others reject incent, but accept incentivize, arguing that motivate does not have quite the same meaning: There really is a difference between incentives and motivation. What an incentive is â€Å"I am going to pay you to want what I want.† And as long as you pay people to want what you want they do it. The minute you stop paying them to want what you want, they stop. And they are not motivated to do anything. They were just incentivized to do just that. –Clayton Christensen, BBC InBiz podcast, September 6, 2012. Regardless of one’s aversion to the sound of incentivize, railing against it is futile. When a new word is perceived as filling a gap, it will prevail. Incentivize is here to stay, right along with amortize, alphabetize, anesthetize, burglarize, commercialize and all the other -ize verbs we may or may not find pleasing to the ear. Incent, on the other hand, is supremely expendable. For one thing, it is used with the same meaning as incentivize. For another, the sound is so close to incite and incense as to invite misunderstanding. Incite can be used with a neutral meaning, for example, â€Å"to incite interest,† but is usually used in the context of stirring up trouble, as in â€Å"to incite violence.† The verb incense (accent on the second syllable) means, â€Å"to provoke to anger,† as in â€Å"Failure to abide by these requirements could incense an already emotional worker and trigger unnecessary and irksome litigation.† An inattentive listener might misunderstand the motives of an employer who wants â€Å"to incent his workers.† At present, incite isn’t so much as a speck on the Ngram Viewer so it may not be too difficult to ignore it into oblivion. As for incentivize, speakers who can’t bear to utter the word have options: prompt drive motivate inspire stimulate influence encourage offer incentives bribe Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†List of Greek Words in the English Language50 Synonyms for "Song"

Battle of San Jacinto in the Texas Revolution

Battle of San Jacinto in the Texas Revolution Battle of San Jacinto - Conflict Date: The Battle of San Jacinto was fought April 21, 1836 and was the decisive engagement of the Texas Revolution. Armies Commanders: Republic of Texas General Sam Houston800 men2 guns Mexico Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna1,400 men1 gun Background: While Mexican President and General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna laid siege to the Alamo in early March 1836, Texan leaders gathered in Washington-on-the-Brazos to discuss independence.   On March 2, a formal declaration was approved. In addition, Major General Sam Houston received an appointment as commander-in-chief of the Texan Army. Arriving in Gonzales, he commenced organizing the forces there to offer resistance to the Mexicans. Learning of the Alamos fall late on March 13 (five days after its capture), he also received word that Santa Annas men were advancing northeast and pushing deeper into Texas. Calling a council of war, Houston discussed the situation with his senior officers and, being out-numbered and out-gunned, decided to commence an immediate withdrawal towards the US border.  This retreat forced the Texan government to abandon its capital at Washington-on-the-Brazos and flee to Galveston. Santa Anna on the Move: Houstons hasty departure from Gonzales proved fortuitous as Mexican troops entered the town on the morning of March 14. Having overwhelmed the Alamo on March 6, Santa Anna, who was eager to end the conflict, split his force in three, sending one column towards Galveston to capture the Texas government, a second back to secure his supply lines, and launched a pursuit Houston with the third. While one column defeated and massacred a Texan force at Goliad in late March, another harried Houstons army. Having briefly swelled to around 1,400 men, the Texan force began to erode as morale sunk during the prolonged retreat. Additionally, concern arose in the ranks regarding Houstons willingness fight. Concerned that his green troops would only be capable of fighting one major battle, Houston continued to avoid the enemy and was nearly removed by President David G. Burnet. On March 31, the Texans paused at Groces Landing where they were able to take two weeks to train and re-supply. Having ridden north to join his lead columns, Santa Anna first conducted a failed endeavor to capture the Texan government before turning his attention to Houstons army. Having departed Groces Landing, it had turned southeast and was moving in the direction of Harrisburg and Galveston.On April 19, his men spotted the Texas Army near the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Buffalo Bayou. Moving closer, they established a camp within 1,000 yards of Houstons position. Believing that he had the Texans trapped, Santa Anna elected to delay and postpone his attack until April 22. Reinforced by General Martà ­n Perfecto de Cos, Santa Anna had 1,400 men to Houstons 800. The Texans Prepare: On April 20, the two armies skirmished and fought a minor cavalry action. The next morning, Houston called council of war. Though most of his officers believed they should wait for Santa Annas assault, Houston decided to seize the initiative and attack first. That afternoon, the Texans burned Vinces Bridge cutting off the most likely line of retreat for Mexicans. Screened by a slight ridge that ran across the field between the armies, the Texans formed for battle with the 1st Volunteer Regiment in the center, the 2nd Volunteer Regiment on the left, and the Texas Regulars on the right. Houston Strikes: Quickly and quietly advancing, Houstons men were screened by Colonel Mirabeau Lamars cavalry on the far right. Not expecting a Texan attack, Santa Anna had neglected to post sentries outside of his camp, allowing the Texans to close without being detected. They were further aided by the fact that the time of the assault, 4:30 PM, coincided with the Mexicans afternoon siesta. Supported by two artillery pieces donated by the city of Cincinnati and known as the Twin Sisters, the Texans surged forward yelling Remember Goliad and Remember the Alamo. A Surprise Victory: Caught by surprise, the Mexicans were unable to mount an organized resistance as the Texans opened fire at close range. Pressing their attack, they quickly reduced the Mexicans to mob, forcing many to panic and flee. General Manuel Fernndez Castrillà ³n attempted to rally his troops but was shot before they could establish any resistance. The only organized defense was mounted by 400 men under General Juan Almonte, who were forced to surrender at the end of the battle. With his army disintegrating around him, Santa Anna fled the field. A complete victory for the Texans, the battle only lasted 18 minutes. Aftermath: The stunning victory at San Jacinto cost Houstons army a mere 9 killed and 26 wounded. Among the wounded was Houston himself, having been hit in the ankle. For Santa Anna, the casualties were much higher with 630 killed, 208 wounded, and 703 captured. The next day a search party was sent out to locate Santa Anna. In an attempt to avoid detection, he had exchanged his generals uniform for that of a private. When captured, he nearly escaped recognition until other prisoners began saluting him as El Presidente. The Battle of San Jacinto proved to be the decisive engagement of the Texas Revolution and effectively secured independence for the Republic of Texas. A prisoner of the Texans, Santa Anna was compelled to sign the Treaties of Velasco which called for the removal of Mexican troops from Texas soil, efforts to be made for Mexico to recognize Texas independence, and safe conduct for the president back to Veracruz. While Mexican troops did withdraw, the other elements of the treaties were not upheld and Santa Anna was held as a POW for six months and disowned by the Mexican government. Mexico did not officially recognize the loss of Texas until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican-American War. Selected Sources Texas AM: Battle of San JacintoTexas State Library: Battle of San JacintoSan Jacinto Battlefield State Historic Site