modality = 'kind'

[Laurence Horn]

At 12:28 PM -0500 1/27/11, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>'...especially social class, gender orientation, or ethnicity.'
>
>A well-educated guest on CNN was explaining that, in his his last job, he
>had "prepared educational curricula for people of all modalities."

You don't think he was referring to possible people, likely and
unlikely people, necessary people, and the like?

LH

>
>Before we ridicule this usage, consider that he (and presumably others) may
>assume that even naming such "modalities" might be considered
>"controversial" by some.
>
>The speaker was hoping that his appearance on CNN might lead to a good new
>job.
>
>OK, now we can ridicule.
>
>JL
>
>--
>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org