The next one is one you see all over the place, and hear most times you turn on the radio or television. “New innovation”.
“Innovation” means “something new”, so why should an innovation be anything other than new? Does there exist an innovation that isn’t new?
The proper phrase is simply, “innovation”. But you seldom come across someone talking or writing about an innovation. It always has to be a “new innovation”. Anything less than the two words doesn’t sound right.
Since the prevailing tendancy is laziness in speech and writing, meaning that words and phrases are often shortened to the point of ugliness, it’s surprizing that this particular transgression of grammar involves the use of an additional word where none is wanted.
Let’s all do the English language a favour, and help sustain it by avoiding the use of this particular mis-phrase, and pointing out to those who do use it that all they need is “innovation” without the “new”. Otherwise this awful phrase will become as commonplace as “for free”.
Philip Gegan
