wide array of death euphemisms

[Dennis R. Preston]

>I assume this is some sort of bad joke since it uses a comma TWICET
>where a period (or at least semicolon ) would be required by those
>who give two whacks about such crap.

dInIs

PS: I put two big *'s in the appropriate places just in case some of
you ignernt dialectologists and sociolinguists might not know these
really important rules.



>It seems that children today are not tested enough on punctuation.
>When reading
>something someone wrote, the idea is for it to speak for them,* they sound
>ignorant and uneducated to not be able to use the correct punctuation when
>writing.  That bothers me to no end, especially when grammar,
>syntax, semantics
>and the english language is concentrated on so greatly in schools.  Someone's
>not doing their jobs,* is it the teachers or the students??
>
>
>
>
>Quoting James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>
>>  Subject:      Re: wide array of death euphemisms
>>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  Yes.
>>
>>
>>  --- Robert Wachal <robert-wachal at UIOWA.EDU> wrote:
>>
>>  > I fail to understand why some folks would get their
>>  > underpants in a twist
>>  > over the harmless lack of punctuation in the very
>>  > clear unpunctuated two
>>  > lines of the message from Kara Everman. I for one am
>>  > tired of these
>>  > "barbarians are at the gates" attitudes. Considering
>>  > the slaughter and
>>  > starvation going on throughout the world, is the
>>  > fact of a few missing
>>  > commas really worthy of comment and parody?
>>  >
>>  > At 12:36 PM 8/31/2004, you wrote:
>>  > >---------------------- Information from the mail
>>  > header
>>  > >-----------------------
>>  > >Sender:       American Dialect Society
>>  > <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  > >Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIOU.EDU>
>>  > >Subject:      Re: wide array of death euphemisms
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > >
>>  > >Thanks Mark this is a new phenomenon I encounter
>>  > all the time in
>>  > >undergraduate and especially email writing it
>>  > annoys me too whatever
>>  > >happened to freshman comp?!
>>  > >
>>  > >At 01:10 PM 8/31/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>>  > > >         >>>>>
>>  > > >Date:    Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:05:08 EDT
>>  > > >From:    Kara Everman <Karaeverman at AOL.COM>
>>  > > >Subject: wide array of death euphemisms
>>  > > >
>>  > > >to identify with the life philosophy of laughing
>>  > instead of crying where
>>  > > >trouble is concerned is the fact of a wide array
>>  > of these death euphemisms
>>  > > >to buy the farm
>>  > > >to bite the dust
>>  > > >curtains
>>  > > >to kick the bucket
>>  > > >to punch ones ticket
>>  > > >to sleep with the fishes
>>  > > >to meet ones maker
>>  > > >  where do these euphemisms originate and how are
>>  > they made
>>  > > >         <<<<<
>>  > > >
>>  > > >Dear Ms. Everman:
>>  > > >
>>  > > >to read unpunctuated text is rather a nuisance
>>  > that is why punctuation was
>>  > > >invented to provide to the reader who after all
>>  > is not present when the text
>>  > > >is being created a partial substitute for the
>>  > writers speakers tone of voice
>>  > > >prosody etc im not sure how to parse the first
>>  > two lines of your message
>>  > > >please use something at least approximating
>>  > standard punctuation thank you
>>  > > >in advance
>>  > > >
>>  > > >Also, what do you mean by (if I read it
>>  > correctly) "to identify with [that
>>  > > >philosophy] *is the fact of*" these euphemisms? I
>>  > don't see anything happy
>>  > > >in "biting the dust".
>>  > > >
>>  > > >Having gotten that off my chest, I'm sure you
>>  > will get useful answers on
>>  > > >this list.
>>  > > >
>>  > > >-- Sincerely,
>>  > > >    Mark A. Mandel
>>  >
>>
>>
>>  =====
>>  James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
>>  South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
>  > jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
>>                                 |or slowly and cautiously.
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
A-740 Wells Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 432-3099
Fax: (517) 432-2736
preston at msu.edu