Advancing the Language 1

[Thadeus]

Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls [red]refudiate[/red]

followed by:

Peaceful New Yorkers, pls [red]refute[/red] the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real.

Refute: 1: to prove wrong by argument or evidence : show to be false or erroneous; 2: to deny the truth or accuracy of

followed by:

"Refudiate," "misunderestimate," "wee-wee'd up." English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!

No further comment except to quote from the Forum description: The words we use and how we use them often reflect our professionalism.

~thadeus

 

[guitarzan]

I never use Twitter, but this was quite funny... I see there's now a Twitter account called #shakespalin... took a quick look, and my favorite has to be:

And oftentimes excusing of a fault doth make the fault the worse by the refudiation

 

[SkipVought]

This harkens back to mispronounced atomic words, or misspelled spuds.

Does it have anything to do with real leadership?

I'd repudiate the whole thing.

Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my old subtlety...
for a NUANCE![/sub]

 

[2ffat]

I'm still trying to get past, "wee-wee'd up."


James P. Cottingham
[sup]I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229![/sup]

 

[Noway2]

Makes you wonder that as the the language has changed dramatically over the last several hundred to thousand years give or take, if the people of the time viewed the forces of change in the same way we do these comments?

Is the use of such terms a sign of lack of intellect or a poor attempt to better appeal to a younger culture? I dare say it was any more successful than a parent usually gets trying to converse with their teenagers.

 

[guitarzan]

Well, referring to this particular gaffe, I don't think it's a lack of intellect; just a careless misspelling of a word (repudiate), a mistake we have all made from time to time.

Of course, the proper way to have handled it IMO would have been to ask someone with a good grasp of the English language "what would the correct word have been in this context?". Not to just choose another word that is completely wrong, and follow that up with a silly statement comparing herself with Shakespeare. I realize it was tongue-in-cheek, but it didn't make her look like the brightest bulb.

Someone should really recommend this forum to her...

 

[Sympology]

If "typos" (typographical errors) are the new works of Shakespear, then pass me the literary crown as there's a new king in town.

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

 

[strongm]

> if the people of the time viewed the forces of change in the same way we do these comments

Jonathan Swift wrote in 1712:

some method should be thought on for ascertaining and fixing our language for ever (...) it is better a language should not be wholly perfect, than that it should be perpetually changing

and his was not a lone voice in the 18th century.

One of the original motivations behind the creation of Dr Johnson's famous dictionary was to fix the language. Of it's purpose he wrote in 1747:

by which the pronunciation of our language may be fixed

and

its purity preserved

although he did later say

Those who have been persuaded to think well of my design, require that it should fix our language and put a stop to those alterations which time and chance have hitherto been suffered to make in it without opposition. With this consequence I will confess that I flattered myself for a while; but now begin to fear that I have indulged expectation which neither reason nor experience can justify

clearly realising that attempting to fix the langauage was probably futile

 

[BadBigBen]

I second the vote for King Sympology...



PS: To Twit or not to Twit, that be the question...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[Noway2]

For a little bit of humor on this subject (may be mildly not safe for work due to potential profanity use):

http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/crasl/in_honor_of_refudiate_i_hereby_introduce_a_new/

 

[KenCunningham]

If we are to preserve the language in aspic, how would we give names to new inventions and ideas? The French seem to have run into difficulties with same, causing them to adopt 'le weekend' and the like from evolving English.

The internet - allowing those who don't know what they're talking about to have their say.

 

[jebenson]

If we are to preserve the language in aspic

Why would we want to preserve our language in a savory meat jelly?



I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day!

 

[KenCunningham]

Because:

preserve/set/remain in aspic: British English : if something is preserved in aspic, it has not changed for a very long time.

From Longman's contemporary English dictionary. I just like the phrase (but not the jelly!) I guess.

The internet - allowing those who don't know what they're talking about to have their say.

 

[kjv1611]

Well if it's jelly, it ought to be flexible to some extent, just not out and out runny.

 

[BadBigBen]

Only a dead language never changes...



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[drlex]

Perhaps we have a candidate for a new Mrs Malaprop?

soi là, soi carré