Why You Shouldn’t Use Assignation for Assignment

I’m not sure why, but I’ve noticed that people who learned English as a second language often use assignation for assignment. And the switch can be a bit awkward.

Those of you who know the same definition of assignation that I do can totally understand why it would be strange. Although you’re probably a bit baffled at why multiple people would get those two words mixed up. They mean totally different things, right? Did I mis-learn the definition?

The Definition of Assignation

Or should I say, definitions?

Surprise! Assignation can actually mean allocation or the act of assigning! Who knew?

So when people use it that way, technically, they aren’t wrong. After all, that makes assignation and assignment synonyms.

The only problem is that most people have no idea the word has a definition like that – that’s not the definition that’s commonly used. Most of the time, they think of the other definition: tryst or a secret meeting of lovers.

That’s the definition you thought of, right?

That’s what makes using the other definition confusing. It’s simply not that commonly known, and the one that is known doesn’t make sense in the same context.

The Connotation of Assignation

Assignation has a mildly negative connotation, too. Yes, it could be an honest meeting of significant others, but a lot of times, you think of an affair. People sneaking around shady motels and whatnot.

I’m guessing that’s because of the secret aspect of the meeting. And although lots of people have affairs (sadly true), they are still considered negative, and that carries over to the word.

How Bad Is It to Use Assignation versus Assignment?

Ok, so it’s less common and maybe a bit negative to use that definition, but how bad is it? Is using it at work a problem?

The most truthful answer is “It depends.” (Isn’t it always?) IMHO, though, it’s not likely to get you fired (that would be an extraordinarily strict boss), and I wouldn’t expect it to cause a reprimand unless you work for very uptight people. This slip really falls more along the lines of awkward and possibly not making the best impression, and it truly does depend on when and how you use it.

For example, when someone uses it in a work situation, such as, “I’ll make the assignations and send them to you this afternoon,” well, my mind glitches for a second before circling around to what the person was actually trying to say. But I get there. And it doesn’t get in the way of doing the work.

And in front of clients, well, awkward, is the worst word that comes to mind. You can see the confused or slightly embarrassed expressions cross their faces briefly (depending on their personalities). Most of them don’t say anything about it because good clients realize that everybody switches their words around once in a while. And that someone who learned English as a second language might do that more than those who learned it first.

So, no, it’s not a huge problem. It’s not even a big problem. It’s just a small miscommunication. If you can fix it, that’s great. If not, it’s not the end of the world.

I just hear enough people do it that I want to spread the word. I guess hearing it gives me a Kristoff moment:

TL;DR

If you’re talking about people meeting in secret to have sex, use assignation. If you’re talking about handing out different tasks to different people, use assignment.