(pawl.ee.uh.TEN.tiv.nus)
n.
The ability to watch or listen carefully to more than one thing at a time.
Example Citation:
Though she claims to disdain the academic life, she seems to fall back on jargon such as 'polyattentiveness' and 'plebianized' when she doesn't have anything of significance to say.
—Margaret Quamme, "Syrup Ruins Mix of Sontag's Ideas," The Columbus Dispatch, November 11, 2001
—Margaret Quamme, "Syrup Ruins Mix of Sontag's Ideas," The Columbus Dispatch, November 11, 2001
Notes:
The following citation (from an undated paper) hints at the possible source of today's lexical mouthful:
Henry Sayre (1989: 147) draws attention to the need in the 'multimedia presentations' (music/visuals/film) of Laurie Anderson, and in some of the works of John Cage, for what he dubs 'polyattentiveness.'
—Simon Waters, "The musical process in the age of digital intervention"
—Simon Waters, "The musical process in the age of digital intervention"
The reference is to a book titled The Object of Performance, which was published by University of Chicago Press in 1989.
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