tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post1839844817401349441..comments2024-03-29T11:42:44.511-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: THE ENDANGERED WORDS LISTJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-43493010481219390912012-09-27T22:14:01.981-04:002012-09-27T22:14:01.981-04:00I may be wrong, but I think *sign* is a perfectly ...I may be wrong, but I think *sign* is a perfectly good word and see no need for *signage*. But I do hate to hear, between you and I, and I hear it all the time!<br /><br />Thanks for giving me something to think about--sorry I was so late getting here.Kaye Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596677617002735674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-65230758383174903512012-09-22T22:28:31.802-04:002012-09-22T22:28:31.802-04:00Thank you for your comments.
E.B., you make a go...Thank you for your comments. <br /><br />E.B., you make a good point--several good points, actually, but I’m thinking specifically of your last one. Dictionaries reflect usage, so when usage gets sloppy, dictionaries have to adjust. Many now list “alot” and “alright” as secondary but acceptable spellings; some include “uninterested” as the third or fourth definition of “disinterested.” So we can’t rely on dictionaries to preserve the original meanings of commonly misused words.<br /><br />Patg, thanks for sharing Asimov’s observation—I hadn’t heard it before. I appreciate his concern about clarity, but I have to side with Orwell: We need an extensive, rich vocabulary to express a wide range of ideas precisely.<br /><br />Gloria, you’re not alone. I think I often drive my husband crazy when I break off mid-sentence to search for the right word, or even a reasonable approximation of it.<br /><br />Warren, thanks for your comment. I think I remember seeing Stephen King quote Amy Tan’s remark—in On Writing, perhaps?<br /><br />Michele, you may be right—it may be a losing battle. But as Orwell says in “Politics and the English Language,” “one can at least change one’s own habits.” And once in a while, if enough of us work at it, we might even score a small victory by rescuing an endangered word or two. <br /><br />Jim, the confusion of “less” and “fewer” bothers me, too. It doesn’t help when signs in grocery stores tell us we can use the express lane if we have “twenty items or less.” And “It belongs to him and I” is a good example of a mistake people make when they pay attention to what supposedly sounds good rather than to grammar.<br />--B.K.B.K. Stevenshttp://www.bkstevensmysteries.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-480975858266330122012-09-22T21:43:41.139-04:002012-09-22T21:43:41.139-04:00I must admit that I hate having to "dumb down...I must admit that I hate having to "dumb down" my writing because other people do not know some of the words that I think are perfect to describe what I want to say.<br /><br />Although Bill Buckley never found the need to eliminate a ton of words I had never heard of, so maybe the problem is not my vocabulary, but my confidence??<br /><br />And as for fighting losing battles, I remember my <i>grandparents</i> railing against the commercial that said, "Winston takes good like a cigarette should." "AS" my grandparents would spit out in unison.<br /><br />My partner, Jan, dies a thousand deaths of small cuts when people misuse less and fewer. (A sin of which I am occasionally guilty.)<br /><br />And I cringe everytime I hear, "Me and Joe went..." Followed shortly thereafter by, "It belongs to him and I."<br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-58422026130934391652012-09-22T13:31:10.631-04:002012-09-22T13:31:10.631-04:00I love this, B.K., thanks. I've been called a...I love this, B.K., thanks. I've been called a language curmudgeon, but English has roots from distinct language groups that gave us so many synonoms and homonyms we have almost one million words available. One of my biggest bugaboos is the demise of "who". Objects are "that", people are "who", yet every evening on TV you hear "He's the man that ..."<br />I'm pretty sure I'm fighting a losing battle, but I hope you keep up the good work! Michele Drierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06944263184981732147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-55199593732724201752012-09-22T13:15:08.342-04:002012-09-22T13:15:08.342-04:00Thank you for an excellent blog. When Amy Tan was...Thank you for an excellent blog. When Amy Tan was asked what question was never asked by her fans that she thought she be asked she relied that nobody asks about the words.Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-32340001324095079272012-09-22T10:59:20.245-04:002012-09-22T10:59:20.245-04:00You made me think I'd better carefully think o...You made me think I'd better carefully think out exactly what I want to say before I speak. :-) Of course, at my age I'm finding myself often searching for the exact word I want to use anyway. <br /><br />Good blog. I enjoyed reading it and it made me think of other words that have changed their meaning like gay. Even with the third graders I taught, if an older book I was reading to them or a poem had the original meaning, it would cause giggles by a few of my students. I'm not homophobic in any way, so I ignored those who took the secondary meaning of the word and read on. Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-41625582130368436312012-09-22T10:58:29.015-04:002012-09-22T10:58:29.015-04:00Thank you for this article. English is such an exp...Thank you for this article. English is such an expressive language, people do seem to get carried away trying to sound eloquent. Asimov once said that if we stuck to about 2100 words in the English language we'd always make ourselves prefectly clear.<br />Patg Patghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046665022709722606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-14827095122808445292012-09-22T08:35:59.820-04:002012-09-22T08:35:59.820-04:00I think that you are describing the human conditio...I think that you are describing the human condition, which our language reflects. Our world values fast-pace decision making over precise thinking and well-thought out direction. Look at the current political candidates. They know that their platforms will not work, but it's what the public wants to hear. Winning the race means having power, more important than governing to help the nation. So goes our language.<br /><br />Unfortunately, there's another problem. I looked up the word, "comprised." Herein lies the other part of the problem:<br /><br />com·prise<br /> [kuhm-prahyz] Show IPA<br />verb (used with object), com·prised, com·pris·ing.<br />1.<br />to include or contain: The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics.<br />2.<br />to consist of; be composed of: The advisory board comprises six members.<br />3.<br />to form or constitute: Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities. <br /><br />www.dictionary.comE. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.com