Australian usage of 'instigate'?

taruff · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:41 am

Hello - long-time lurker here, emerging with another question.

I'm in the unusual position (for me) of editing some copy from our Asia Pacific division, for their version of our quarterly companywide newsletter. Most of the content - for which I am responsible - is the same; only one page is different, which is why I'm editing the copy. (And trying to make the 1,800 words - plus photos - they submitted fit into a 600-word space, but that's another problem entirely.)

Anyway, I'm wondering about Australian usage of the word "instigate." Does it have any meaning other than goad or incite? The admittedly boring text I'm editing says " ... instigating a strategy to expand our store network throughout Asia Pacific." I think that's an incorrect usage of "instigating" but wanted to check before changing it.

Thanks.

KK · **Posted:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 10:42 pm

The Australian standard dictionary is the Macquarie (http://www.macquariedictionary.com.au). To my utter surprise, you are right in that it only offers definitions similar to the ones you suggest. It is *extremely* common to hear 'instigate' used in a context which means 'put in place' or 'set up' or started up. For example, from a recent CV submitted to me: 'I instigated a process of formal peer assessments'.

I accept that you should change it, but I'm going to write to the Macquarie about it, because I think it is now in common usage here.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Sun Mar 19, 2006 9:55 pm

Macquarie defines as follows: instigate SAY: 'instuhgayt
verb (t) to spur on, set on, or incite to some action or courseto instigate someone to commit a crime. to bring about by incitement; fomentto instigate a quarrel. [Latin inst&imacr;g&amacr;tus, pp.]

Merriam-Webster Online offers
instigate
One entry found for instigate.

Main Entry: inÂ·stiÂ·gate
Pronunciation: 'in(t)-st&-"gAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -gatÂ·ed; -gatÂ·ing
Etymology: Latin instigatus, past participle of instigare -- more at STICK
: to goad or urge forward : PROVOKE
synonym see INCITE

I'd
conquer with limiting the usage. The Macquarie editors' ears and eyes seem to have assessed things correctly. With apologies to Mark Twain, I make the following observation:

''I am a dictionary complier and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one.''

KK · **Posted:** Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:25 pm

I was thinking about it some more over the weekend and wonder if this usage has come from a confusion with 'initiate'. Writing for an international audience you'd have to change it, but I think it's worming its way into Strine. Let's see what happens to it over the next decade.

I reckon 'thankyou' as one word is going to become formally accepted within my lifetime, even though I hate it. No doubt some KK ancestor felt the same way about goodbye.

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:43 pm

You'll see a lot of governemnt press releases talk about ''a Federal Government initiative''. It's my practice to rewrite though I note the latest version of our stylebook omits the previous usage warning.

taruff · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:20 am

Thanks for your replies. I'm still mulling it over but will probably change it to "initiate."

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:12 pm

Never use utilise when you can utilise use is the axiom that applies, IMHO.

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Australian usage of 'instigate'?

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