You're not going? 6

[Dimandja]

Should I answer "Yes" or "No"? Why?

 

[SantaMufasa]

Now I understand.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[elanor]

Yes...tney're THAT kind of great aunt - the kind P.G. Wodehouse described as aunts who eat broken bottles and wear barbed wire next to the skin.

They take some handling, I can tell you! :-(
Thanks!
Elanor

 

[SantaMufasa]

Whew...better you than I.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[RodKnowlton]

UniqueFD

As I realized last night, "interogator" isn't even a word. I think I was trying to spell an odd pronunciation of "interrogator" that I'd heard in the past.

For some reason, I've never liked "questioner", even though it's a valid word. Skimming through the dictionary last night (always fun), I found the perfect word: "querist". Be very careful how you pronounce it, though.

Rod Knowlton
IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert pSeries and AIX 5L
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA Security+

 

[SantaMufasa]

Rod,

Correct: "interogator" is not a word but "interrogator" is:

Main Entry: in·ter·ro·ga·tor
Pronunciation: in-'ter-&-"gA-t&r
Function: noun
1 : one that interrogates
2 : a radio transmitter and receiver for sending out a signal that triggers a transponder and for receiving and displaying the reply

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[UniqueFD]

Rod,
I'm afraid I was unsure of the spelling (1 or 2 'r's) and didn't look it up, but read it as 'one who interrogates' and genuinely liked it. Your alternative is even better, though!
(careful pronunciation acknowledged

)

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[SilentAiche]

I found the perfect word: "querist". Be very careful how you pronounce it, though.

That's funny. (and good advice!)

Tim


[blue]_____________________________________________________
If you need immediate assistance, please raise your hand.
If you are outside of Raleigh, raise your hand and say[/blue] [red]Ooh! Ooh![/red]

 

[SantaMufasa]

Querist" is the "queerest" (yet perhaps the most precise) Thesaurical replacement we've seen so far.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[earthandfire]

Main Entry: in·ter·ro·ga·tor
Pronunciation: in-'ter-&-"gA-t&r
Function: noun
1 : one that interrogates
2 : a radio transmitter and receiver for sending out a signal that triggers a transponder and for receiving and displaying the reply

I always understood that when referring to people we should use who in this context. Could this be another US/UK difference - or has M-W got it wrong?

 

[UniqueFD]

Just thought I'd resurrect this one to get an answer, for completeness. Should the definition of 'Interrogator' be:

1) One who interrogates; or
2) One that interrogates
and why?

As you can see from earlier posts, e&f and I incline towards 1), but I don't have a technical reason - it feels better??!!

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[Dimandja]

>Just thought I'd resurrect this one to get an answer, for completeness. Should the definition of 'Interrogator' be: ...

New thread perhaps?

 

[UniqueFD]

You're right, Dimandja. I'm sorry.

I'll post a new thread right away.

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[aftertaf]

and back to the start...

to retake the other example
"Don't you want that cake?"

means

Do you not want that cake?

"No" means you do... because you are strictly answering the question in a binary matter.

but [IMHO] you can say "No, i don't / do not"
and in which case the "No" can be seen to agree with the negation in the question asked, as you back it up with an affirmation of your non cakeness...

I find saying "Yes, i do not" a bit dodgy in terms of correct grammar.. I understand the nit-picking accuracy behind it in a grammatical way, but language is not just grammar, it is also a means of expression, and saying Yes i do not sounds, for me, pedantic and pretentious. The language you use needs to feel right, and i can't use it in this manner, No i can't ;-)
I understand that some people think and feel differently about this, which is why to this type of question i will always reply with an affirmation of the yes/no bit.


Aftertaf
________
Regain control of your PC, at

http://www.debian.org

If you break your hard drive, it'll be DPlank's fault

 

[SteveGlo]

I once had to sit through a tortuous staff conference where part of the 'entertainment' was a man who made a living as an after dinner speaker - he obvious had a high regard for himself.

Amongst his repetoire of old chestnuts was a boring story about a misunderstanding (allegedly) caused by the use of a double negative and the response by a woman caterer or somesuch, in any event a person he considered to be vastly less educated than himself.

I really wanted to stand up and cry out "Good grief its obvious what the woman meant even if she was saying 'no' when ahe should technically be saying 'yes'. Why didn't you make use of your 'superior education and intelligence' to move on rather than berate the woman over her continued misunderstanding of your use of a double negative?".

Although I agree it is sometimes necessary to question the response for the sake of clarity, in the main I dislike smarty-pants who enjoy taking a rise out of other people's inferior education.