get vs. receive/become

[Jonathan Lighter]

That should have been "received," of course.

JL

On Sun, Sep 20, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: get vs. receive/become
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 9/20/2009 11:40 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> >Fifty years ago an English teacher told us, "Never say 'get' when you mean
> >'receive' or 'become.'"  That seemed pretty weird at the time and has only
> >gotten [sic] weirder.
> >
> >Yesterday a highly-educated CNN news anchor, age ca40, said (I paraphrase
> >slightly): "And we've gotten some feedback....I mean we've recieved some
> >feedback. My mother would say, '_Gotten_ ? What kind of language is that?'
> >Mom might be listening so I'd better watch my grammar.  We've received
> >feedback..."
> >
> >Is this odd taboo so widespread? So terrifying that a news anchor earning
> >nine or ten figures would correct herself on the air and apologize to Mom?
> >
> >I guess yes.
>
> I would too -- that is, not earn nine or ten figures, but apologize
> to Mom.  She was a high school English teacher, and would have told
> me the same, also about 50 years ago.
>
> Joel
>
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