Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )

Subject: Re: Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used ... )
From: Mike Stockman <stockman -at- jagunet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 16:52:38 -0400

On 10/05/2001 4:27 PM, Bonnie Granat (bgranat -at- att -dot- net) wrote:

>"Beg the question" does *not* mean "causes questions" or "brings up
>questions". This is not the first time I've seen it misused on this list,
>but it is the first time I am commenting. I hope you will all forgive me.

I'll try, but exactly what "beg the question" means comes down to the
same argument as many other definitions in English today... prescriptive
vs. descriptive grammar. For a good discussion about how "beg the
question" originally/actually means something other than today's common
usage, see <http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-beg1.htm>. The author of
that page takes a more forgiving attitude than you appear to, and points
out that several dictionaries now are starting to accept the "incorrect"
meaning as valid.

I suppose you can be the grammar police all you want (although Eric
specifically forbids it for this list), but you may find it less
stressful in the long run to recognize that language evolves, and your
favorite phrases probably won't stay the same forever.

----->Mike

________________________________________________________________
stockman -at- jagunet -dot- com -- AOL and AOL Instant Messenger:MStockman



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