CONTENT-FREE
\kˈɒntɛntfɹˈiː], \kˈɒntɛntfɹˈiː], \k_ˈɒ_n_t_ɛ_n_t_f_ɹ_ˈiː]\
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1. (By analogy with "context-free") Used of a message thatadds nothing to the recipient's knowledge. Though thisadjective is sometimes applied to flamage, it more usuallyconnotes derision for communication styles that exalt formover substance or are centred on concerns irrelevant to thesubject ostensibly at hand. Perhaps most used with referenceto speeches by company presidents and other professionalmanipulators.See also four-colour glossies.2. Within British schools the term refers to general-purposesoftware such as a word processor, a spreadsheet or aprogram that tests spelling of words supplied by the teacher.This is in contrast to software designed to teach a particulartopic, e.g. a plant growth simulation, an interactive periodictable or a program that tests spelling of a predetermined listof words. Content-free software can be more cost-effective asit can be reused for many lessons throughout the syllabus.
By Denis Howe
Word of the day
hydromorphic
- [Greek] Structurally adapted to an aquatic environment, as organs of water plants.