Is There a Noun That Can't be "Verbed?" 6

[hjgoldstein]

I was just looking at an article headline in Flipboard and tapped the screen to open the article. Due to a congenitally fat index finger - diets and exercise help not one iota - I accidentally tapped on the Star to the right of the headline.

I was presented with a pop-up which said:

Log In Required - You must be logged in to Twitter to favorite (sic) this item

Is there any noun in the English language that can't be turned into a verb?

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[DansDadUK]

... apart from your insertion of a verbed noun, of course!

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> I believe that the inventioning of new words keeps the language fresh and current.
Even if at the expense of ambiguity and miscommunication?

I'm in favor of a living language; however, changes should be slow and deliberate. I'm not in favor of changing language simply because it can be changed. It stands to reason that if one invents a new word, then no one knows the definition of that word. The meaning and intent can only be gleaned subjectively through context, and any such subjective process is open to (mis)interpretation.

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[hjgoldstein]

CC, I totally concur. Changes to any language should be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

As long as no misunderstandings can occur, especially where such misunderstanding can lead to unintended consequences, there is nothing wrong with that evolutionary approach.

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[hjgoldstein]

I have just received an email from a developer of one of our systems in response to a request for an ad hoc report:

I've added a Level ID to disambiguate multiple notification levels for one limit type.

I nearly fell off my chair at how appropriate this was to the current discussion.

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[hjgoldstein]

...Then I looked it up and found that it is a word. Who'da thunk it?
GW Bushist words make the mainstream.

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[CajunCenturion]

I don't think there is any question that President Bush did his share of "keeping the language fresh and current" shall we say; however, 'disambiguate' doesn't belong to him. On the other hand, I believe he deserves full credit for "misunderestimate" and "embetterment". One could even say that Bush embettered the language -- or not.

--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
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Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something. - Plato

 

[GwydionM]

English has been evolving steadily since it appeared as a distinct language. Often it has two or sometimes three alternative words for the same thing, mostly originating from Anglo-Saxon, Norman-French and scholarly use from Latin or Greek.

It is common for nouns to be verbed, verbs to nounify and either to be adjectived. Britons often complain about US innvoations, but look back and a lot of them have been 'naturalised'. Rails on railways, for instance, rather than 'metals'.

Some hold out: mum / mom: petrol / gas.

But broadly, go with the flow.

And I see 'friended' as useful, a distinct process that occurs on on-line forums.

------------------------------
An old man who lives in the UK

 

[hjgoldstein]

Now I have found another grammatical phenomenon - in the Financial Services Sector - that of verbing an adverb.

I have seen the word "Backwardation" being used seriously. No, seriously!

It is time for pacifists to stand up and fight for their beliefs.

 

[peterlong]

Twittered" should actually be "Tweet" - not that the whole thing itself isn't ridiculous.

http://internet.inmyarea.com/

 

[2ffat]

"Twittered" should actually be "Tweet" - not that the whole thing itself isn't ridiculous.

I thought the word was Twitterpated and not Tweeterpated. ;-)


James P. Cottingham
I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!

 

[hjgoldstein]

The question has been asked about the fashion for revealing celebrities' secrets on Twitter a la Ryan Giggs etc.

Could this be called "Twouting?"

Aspiring to mediocrity since 1957

 

[ChrisHirst]

I can't take anything to do with "Twitter" remotely serious, maybe it's the members being known (by choice) as twits

Which I do see as ironic and rather appropriate given the inane "twittering" that goes on.




Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
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[ChrisHirst]

And as for somebody being in court for a "menacing tweet"!!!



What next,

Jack Daw arrested after giving a threatening squawk???????

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.
Webmaster Forum

 

[SantaMufasa]

To the topic of "Is There a Noun That Can't be 'Verbed'?", I assert that the entire class of nouns that end in "-ness" (besides Lock Ness <grin&gt become rather silly if one attempts to "verb" them, for example:[ul][li]kindness[/li][li]awkwardness[/li][li]ugliness[/li][li]friendliness[/li][li]hopelessness[/li][li]happiness[/li][li]et cetera[/li][/ul]Also rather trivial when one attempts to "verb" them directly are nouns that already come from a verb:[ul][li]assert -> assertion -> assertioned?[/li][li]complete -> completion -> completioned?[/li][li]happen -> happening -> happeninged?[/li][li]et cetera[/li][/ul]

So, IMHO, there are tons of (classes of) nouns that, when "verbed", seem stilted, irrelevant, trivial, silly, and/or highly contrived.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

 

[Annihilannic]

You could summarise that by saying that any word that has been converted once probably can't (or shouldn't!) be converted again, since your first list are all adjectives that have been nouned.

By the way, it's "Loch".

Annihilannic
[small]tgmlify - code syntax highlighting for your tek-tips posts[/small]

 

[SantaMufasa]

Lock Ness" is the degree to which something is secured, as in: "The lock ness of the padlock was 100%." <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[Annihilannic]

Nice escape there, Houdini!

Annihilannic
[small]tgmlify - code syntax highlighting for your tek-tips posts[/small]

 

[rexxhead]

You can lead a horticulture...

Frank Clarke
--America's source for adverse opinions since 1943.

 

[hjgoldstein]

You can take a horse to water

Spoiler

but a pencil must be lead

Aspiring to mediocrity since 1957

 

[BadBigBen]

@ HJ, nope, it can be graphite too...

@ Olaf: >> I already stated I would rather like to appreciate things than to star or fav them.

I agree, but, the problem is that outside of the "facade ledger" the word "Like" for such an action could be deemed a misuse of copyrighted material...

@ Annihilannic: >> By the way, it's "Loch"

What or which hole?


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"