The Ingenious Ingineer
No doubt this has been suggested before, but perhaps we should spell “engineer” with an “i” to more accurately reflect the nature and value of our work.
In the United States in recent years so many other professions and trades have begun to use the word “engineer” that it has lost some of its meaning. For example “domestic engineers” (maids) and “sanitation engineers” (garbage collectors) are squeezing out electrical engineers and civil engineers in the minds of the general public. Outside of the U.S. the engineering profession is still highly respected. Why?
Well one reason may be the English word “engineer” itself. In the English language the word “engineer” is derived from the word “engine”, so it is natural to associate engineers with operators of trains and other heavy engines. But look at the word for engineer in these other languages:
Ingenieur (French)
Ingeniero (Spanish)
Ingegnere (Italian)
Inenieur (German)
Inzynier (Polish)
Inzineir (Slovak)
Notice that in all of these languages the word for engineer begins with an “i.” That is because the root word is derived from the word “ingenuity.” Certainly this is not surprising - engineers are ingenious! They take dreams and turn them into reality. Everything in our modern technological society was at one time touched by the creative mind of an “ingineer.”
More qualified engineers obtaining professional licensure and using the “P.E.” designation after their names would help raise respect for the profession, but maybe a change in spelling of the word engineer might help as well!
