another reversal??

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Tue Oct 9 11:37:01 UTC 2012


In this context I'd avoid "adapt" at all costs, for the reasons already
given.

JL


On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 5:19 AM, Damien Hall <damien.hall at newcastle.ac.uk>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Damien Hall <damien.hall at NEWCASTLE.AC.UK>
> Subject:      another reversal??
>
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> > On Being Different, the book Miller adapted from that essay.
>
> This felt strange to me too, and having read down the thread I think I
> know=
>  why.  It isn't exactly the reason given by Victor, Alice and Geoff, I
> don'=
> t think, though it may be related.
>
> I don't think 'my' syntax for _adapt_ allows it to go into this frame with
> =
> this meaning.  Since what is meant is that Miller wrote a book called _On
> B=
> eing Different_ which was an adaptation / expansion of an essay, I would
> ha=
> ve to say
>
> _On Being Different_, the book into which Miller adapted that essay.
>
> We know of course that you should never say Never in this kind of thing -
> b=
> ut I don't think that I could use _adapt A from B_ to mean 'make A out of
> B=
> ', except perhaps very informally / marginally.
>
> Damien
>
> --
>
> Damien Hall
> Newcastle University (UK)
>
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