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[The English Language] Etymology, Words, Phrases, Dialects and other fascinating things
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But then there's a pretty fair share of words which technically mean 'average' but in usage just mean "crappy".
mediocre
middling
pedestrian
etc etc
(but then you can also say, "I make a mean martini" so around we go)
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php
But, remember that modern usages of a word are often supported and reinforced by folk-etymology. Even when a common opinion about the origin of a word is not supported by primary sources, the fact that the word connotes something for many people causes them to use it more. We like to use words we feel we have control over.
Man what is it about words describing levels of awe that makes them shift into broader meanings? See also:
http://www.uni-due.de/SHE/HE_Change_Semantic.htm
Expansion, Restriction, Deterioration, Amelioration, Markedness, Metaphor, Reanlysis, truncation, and homophony.
I mean, just think of the word "epic". That seems pretty relevant to that Eddie Izzard clip. Really? An internet post can be epic?
My hope was that this thread would slowly evolve into a philosophy of language thread. One of the issues we could take up is the relationship between etymology and meaning. If a particular word meant X at T1, and later, at T2, means Y, how do we deal with this?
Then trip from that into a conversation about Wittgenstein and the theory of meaning-as-use.
In the past your take on philosophy of language has been very combative and negative towards everyday usage. Have you mellowed?
My pet peeve is people who don't even know the various forms of irony trying to define what is ironic.
Gods bless Oatmeal for they are a wellspring of knowledge.
My Backloggery
It's like the easiest word in all of English to complain about
Except for maybe 'ain't', but that just makes you come across as a stuffy grandma
so they're actually wrong.
which
is
ironic.
Steam: Chagrin LoL: Bonhomie
since it happens whether we like it or not
you complain about changes in usage, then they change anyway
prescriptivism is just good clean fun and makes you feel superior
in every language game etc
I think he means deal with philosophically, not practically.
I think J, when finding the world odd, blames the world instead of his own sense of 'logic'.
I just read a book by Virginia Woolf that did indeed use "whelmed." Although the meaning was pretty much the same as "overwhelmed."
I don't get the context for "what should we do when word X begins meaning Y instead of Z." In what context? Are you talking about "when updating dictionaries" or "when reading old books" or what? The change itself is inevitable.
I find this sort of thing amusing, but my linguistics has failed me, so I don't recall what it he correct term is.
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
If you are going to be breaking it up, shouldn't it be "pains-taking"?
I assume the etymology of the word is just, y'know, taking pains
That is correct and the issue to which I refer, rather than the superfluous hyphenation.
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
Free paid membership? This makes no sense!
Off the top of my head are "eerie" and "aerie" and I'm guessing there are more.
So, uh.
No.
Maddie: "I am not!"
Riley: "You're a marsupial!"
Maddie: "I am a placental mammal!"
[clause1]; however, [clause2]
So, for example:
I don't care for mayonnaise; however, I admit it's a fundamental part of a proper tuna salad.
So if I'm writing something formal or technical, that's how I use it. For informal writing, I just throw it around willy nilly. And for creative writing, fuck it, all rules are off. (Provided you have a good understanding of what the rules are, and why, precisely, they should be off.)
Maddie: "I am not!"
Riley: "You're a marsupial!"
Maddie: "I am a placental mammal!"
Only 5-letter q word with 4 vowels!
I like "gypsy" because it's the only five letter word that starts with a g and rhymes with "tipsy"!
Maddie: "I am not!"
Riley: "You're a marsupial!"
Maddie: "I am a placental mammal!"
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
It's "12 items or fewer" you dumb supermarket express lines.
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
Correct:
I am green; however, you are blue.
I am green. However, you are blue.
I am green, but you are blue.
Incorrect:
I am green, however, you are blue.
I am green. But you are blue.
I am green; but you are blue.
The latter two incorrect ones are largely permissible informally, because starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction is a common stylistic choice with a real function. Using however in the first error example, though, is a glaring error (a comma splice).
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.”
― Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
Steam: Chagrin LoL: Bonhomie
People have already posted that. But I don't see it's direct relevance.
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.
So nyah
you colonial you
SODOMISE INTOLERANCE
Tide goes in. Tide goes out.