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From these 32 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list The thirty-first entry is il disegno tecnico come fonte , and the noun in the middle carries two things English long ago put in separate boxes. Il disegno is first what a pencil leaves behind: un disegno a matita is a pencil drawing, and il disegno quotato is the dimensioned sheet an engineer hands to a workshop. All of that is « drawing ». But the same noun also names the plan behind an action, the shape somebody meant a thing to have. Il disegno di legge is a bill, the text a government intends to turn into law; un disegno criminoso is a criminal scheme; nei disegni di qualcuno means in somebody’s plans. That half is « design » in its older sense, the one still alive in « by design » and in « he had designs on it » — and English then let the word drift towards the look of an object, so that a designer now chooses shapes rather than intentions. Both words descend from Latin designare , to mark out. Keeping them joined is exactly what makes this entry work: a technical drawing is evidence because it records what somebody intended, and then crossed out.
The words
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Noun (f) (19)
Grammar for these: Definite article: il, lo, la · Indefinite article: un, uno
la dipendenza dal percorso path dependence Noun (f) C2 La dipendenza dal percorso spiega perché la tastiera non cambia. Path dependence explains why the keyboard does not change.
l’inerzia tecnologica technological inertia Noun (f) C2 L’inerzia tecnologica pesa più di ogni brevetto. Technological inertia weighs more than any patent.
la battaglia degli standard the standards war Noun (f) C2 La battaglia degli standard non premia sempre il migliore. The standards war does not always reward the better option.
la base installata the installed base Noun (f) C2 La base installata frena ogni cambiamento. The installed base slows every change down.
l’interoperabilità interoperability Noun (f) C2 L’interoperabilità fu imposta più che scelta. Interoperability was imposed rather than chosen.
la pratica di officina workshop practice Noun (f) C2 La pratica di officina non sta scritta da nessuna parte. Workshop practice is written down nowhere.
l’organizzazione scientifica del lavoro scientific management Noun (f) C2 L’organizzazione scientifica del lavoro misurava ogni gesto. Scientific management measured every movement.
la dequalificazione deskilling Noun (f) C2 La dequalificazione seguì l’arrivo della macchina. Deskilling followed the arrival of the machine.
la distruzione delle macchine machine breaking Noun (f) C2 La distruzione delle macchine era una richiesta, non un capriccio. Machine breaking was a demand, not a whim.
l’ingegneria inversa reverse engineering Noun (f) C2 L’ingegneria inversa smonta per capire. Reverse engineering takes a thing apart in order to understand it.
l’inchiesta sull’incidente the accident inquiry Noun (f) C2 L’inchiesta sull’incidente conserva ciò che nessuno annota. The accident inquiry preserves what nobody else writes down.
la percezione del rischio the perception of risk Noun (f) C2 La percezione del rischio cambia più in fretta del rischio. The perception of risk changes faster than the risk itself.
la norma nata da un disastro the rule born of a disaster Noun (f) C2 Quasi ogni norma nata da un disastro porta una data. Almost every rule born of a disaster carries a date.
la storia della manutenzione the history of maintenance Noun (f) C2 La storia della manutenzione racconta l’uso, non l’invenzione. The history of maintenance tells of use, not of invention.
l’elettrificazione electrification Noun (f) C2 L’elettrificazione arrivò prima in fabbrica che in casa. Electrification reached the factory before it reached the home.
la tensione di rete the mains voltage Noun (f) C2 La tensione di rete non fu la stessa ovunque. The mains voltage was not the same everywhere.
la disoccupazione tecnologica technological unemployment Noun (f) C2 La disoccupazione tecnologica torna a ogni generazione. Technological unemployment comes back in every generation.
la macchina funzionante in museo the working machine in a museum Noun (f) C2 La macchina funzionante in museo si consuma mentre insegna. The working machine in a museum wears itself out while it teaches.
la domanda controfattuale the counterfactual question Noun (f) C2 La domanda controfattuale chiede che cosa sarebbe successo altrimenti. The counterfactual question asks what would have happened otherwise.
Noun (m) (13)
Grammar for these: Definite article: il, lo, la · Indefinite article: un, uno
il grande sistema tecnico the large technical system Noun (m) C2 Un grande sistema tecnico comprende macchine, leggi e persone. A large technical system takes in machines, laws and people.
l’effetto rete the network effect Noun (m) C2 L’effetto rete rende utile ciò che già usano in molti. The network effect makes useful whatever many people already use.
l’intrico di brevetti the patent thicket Noun (m) C2 L’intrico di brevetti fermò le officine per anni. The patent thicket brought the workshops to a halt for years.
il sapere tacito tacit knowledge Noun (m) C2 Il sapere tacito se ne va con l’operaio che smette. Tacit knowledge leaves with the worker who gives up the job.
i pezzi intercambiabili interchangeable parts Noun (m) C2 I pezzi intercambiabili hanno cambiato la riparazione. Interchangeable parts changed the business of repair.
il trasferimento di tecnologia technology transfer Noun (m) C2 Il trasferimento di tecnologia porta con sé anche le abitudini. Technology transfer brings the habits along with it.
lo spionaggio industriale industrial espionage Noun (m) C2 Lo spionaggio industriale è antico quanto le officine. Industrial espionage is as old as the workshops.
il fallimento come fonte failure as a source Noun (m) C2 Il fallimento come fonte dice più di un catalogo. Failure as a source says more than a catalogue does.
il declino di una tecnica the decline of a technique Noun (m) C2 Il declino di una tecnica dura più a lungo del suo trionfo. The decline of a technique lasts longer than its triumph.
l’utente come inventore the user as inventor Noun (m) C2 L’utente come inventore compare in ogni officina. The user as inventor turns up in every workshop.
il rapporto tra genere e tecnica the relation between gender and technology Noun (m) C2 Il rapporto tra genere e tecnica si vede già negli attrezzi. The relation between gender and technology can be seen in the tools already.
il monumento industriale the industrial monument Noun (m) C2 Il monumento industriale si visita con il casco. The industrial monument is visited wearing a helmet.
il disegno tecnico come fonte the technical drawing as a source Noun (m) C2 Il disegno tecnico come fonte mostra anche i ripensamenti. The technical drawing as a source shows the changes of mind as well.
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