[Ads-l] amelioration of "shock"

[Jonathan Lighter]

CNN reports today that the world was "shocked" by the fall of the Berlin
Wall in 1989.

That's not how I remember it. "Amazed," yes.


JL

On Sat, Sep 20, 2014 at 11:58 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: amelioration of "shock"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Here is a citation in 1910 for "pleasurably shocked" that might be of
> interest. It shows that some shocks could give pleasure (for some
> speakers). But does not indicate the default meaning for "shocked".
> The adverbially elaboration may have moved "shocked" to an low
> frequency interpretation.
>
> Songs and Tales: A Collection of Songs and Tales from Life and Imagination
> Author: David C. Nimmo (David Chalmers Nimmo)
> Year: 1910 copyright
> Section: The Revenge
> Start Page 240, Quote Page 240 and 241
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Naturally, when about four months after meeting for the first time he
> asked her to be his wife, Mabel was surprised and pleasurably shocked.
> Though it was a new and delightful experience to have such a business
> on her hands it did not blind her to the seriousness of the event; it
> rather woke her up and for the first time in her life she thought on
> the solemness of marriage.
> [End excerpt]
>
> On Sat, Sep 20, 2014 at 11:31 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: amelioration of "shock"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > To me shock, which is negative, is being used a synonym for stun, which
> is
> > neutral.
> > On Sep 20, 2014 11:01 AM, "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> >> Subject:      amelioration of "shock"
> >>
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Maybe this was mentioned before. I've been noticing it for several
> years.
> >>
> >> Now in the pop media it very frequently means "pleased and surprised;
> >> moved"
> >>
> >> Yahoo! News offers a paradigm example:
> >>
> >>
> >> "Tim McGraw shocked at daughter's singing debut...
> >> The country star says 12-year-old Audrey inherited her mother Faith
> Hill's
> >> pitch and tone....'I had tears running down my face.'"
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> JL
> >> --
> >> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."
> >>
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> >>
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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>



-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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