to "overtake" a computer (UNCLASSIFIED)

[David A. Daniel]

Americans usually think of overtake as being purposeful. I once got a
speeding ticket in England (90mph on the motorway, which actually put me in
the slow category, but there's no accounting for luck...) and the cops asked
me for a statement. I said, "Come on, you know as well as I do that if you
do 70 on the motorway everybody passes you like you're tied to a post." When
I got the ticket documents in the mail, the cops had transcribed my
statement as: "If I drive at 70 I feel everyone is overtaking me." This made
me sound somewhat psychotic, from my point of view. Point of this is:
Americans will usually only use overtake if the action is purposeful, like
in a race, whereas Brits use overtake just to describe the event of someone
going by you, with or without competitive intent. It is pretty likely that
Bavarian first father-in-law learned British English.
DAD


____________________________________________
We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Laurence Horn
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 9:22 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: to "overtake" a computer (UNCLASSIFIED)



At 6:22 PM -0400 8/26/09, David Bergdahl wrote:
>My 1st father-in-law (Bavarian, b. 1899) used "overtake" as the usual term
>for passing a car on the highway

Is this at all unusual?  I've used it all my life, as well in the
case of as a runner or swimmer or cyclist overtaking another in a
race.  And I'm not Bavarian.

LH

>; maybe the computer usage is ana analogous
>use of this sense.
>-db
>
>On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 4:23 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
>>
>>  At 8/26/2009 03:07 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>>  >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>>  >Caveats: NONE
>>  >
>>  >Or maybe she meant "take over".
>>
>>  Yes.  What I really assumed she meant, but substituted a mistake for,
>>  but I didn't say so explicitly.
>>
>>  Joel
>>
>>  > > -----Original Message-----
>>  > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
>>  > > Behalf Of Joel S. Berson
>>  > > Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2009 1:53 PM
>>  > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>  > > Subject: to "overtake" a computer
>>  > >
>>  >
>>  > > --------
>>  > >
>>  > > In an article in today's Boston Globe about viruses that hide within
>>  > > downloaded images of celebrities, its writer says "Once downloaded,
>>  > > they overtake the computer, resulting in pop-up screens or even
>>  > > identity theft."
>>  > >
>>  > > She must be thinking of fast mobile computers.
>>  > >
>>  > > I don't think she really meant "overtake, v.", either
>>  > > 2.c. To become greater or more successful than; or
>>  > > 5.    To overpower the will, senses, or feelings of; to win over,
>>  > > captivate; to overwhelm with emotion.  [We all know computers don't
>>  > > have emotions to be captivated.]
>>  > >
>>  > > Perhaps she meant
>>  > > 8. Chiefly Sc. To take up or occupy the whole of (a space); to
extend
>>  > > over, cover. Obs.; or
>>  > > 9.  To overcome the judgement of; to deceive, take in.  Obs.
>>  > >
>>  > > But as the lyrics to the theme song for "Monk" say, "But I don't
think
>>  > > so."
>>  > >
>>  > > Joel
>>  > >
>>  > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>  >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>>  >Caveats: NONE
>>  >
>>  >------------------------------------------------------------
>>  >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
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