Dear Editor:
I have been troubled for the last few years with the increased incorrect use and mispronunciation of the words “collocate” and “collocation” being used by the telecommunications industry to describe more than one carrier using the same location or facility.
The concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology; T.F. Hoad, defines collocate as “place side by side.”
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language; collocate (kol’o-kat’) tr.v -cated, -cating, -cates. To place together or in proper order; arrange.
Webster’s Dictionary of Synonyms; collocation. * Phrase, locution, expression, idiom. An asterisk (*) indicates place of treatment of each group.
The word collocate is pronounced CALL-O-CATE and means: “A relation within a syntactic unit between individual elements; e.g. computer collocates with hate in my computer hates me. Used specifically where words specifically or habitually go together; e.g. blond collocates with hair in blond hair or Their hair is blond.; drunk with lord in drunk as a lord; run with riot in run riot. Hence of * IDIOMS: e.g. blow and top are part of a special collocation in She blew her top.
“A collocation restriction is any restriction on the collocability of one individual word with another.” “Cf. Selectional restriction (1).” Quoting The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, Peter Matthews, Cambridge University, Oxford University Press, 1997.
A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, David Crystal, Blackwell Publishers, pp. 69 and 70, in part: collocation, a term used in lexicology by some linguists to refer to the habitual co-occurrence of individual lexical items.
The proper way to describe two or more telecommunication carriers locating at the same location is CO-LOCATION. Meaning the same location.
The word needs to get out now so the beastly misuse of collocate no longer reflects our industry’s careless misconception.
RCR is that medium which will reach the most people in the telecommunications world.
Michael R. Geddes
Project Manager
Sprint PCS/SDS Wireless
