[Ads-l] proportionately = 'disproportionately' (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill CIV (US)]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

It could be read to mean that the head was proportionately shaped, just small.  That is, the various characteristics of the head were all properly sized relative to each other, not to the rest of the body.

I agree that the sentence is awkwardly worded.  I'd also suggest that it is wrong -- that the size of the turiasaurus's head, compared to anything, is similarly sized to other large comparable sauropods (apatosaurus, diplodocus, etc.)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf Of Joel S. Berson
> Sent: Monday, January 12, 2015 6:12 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: proportionately = 'disproportionately'
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header ---------------
> --------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: proportionately = 'disproportionately'
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> 
> At 1/12/2015 01:10 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> 
> >The problem is that it doesn't make much sense when you read it. I
> felt
> >I knew what was meant and didn't at the same time.
> 
> I agree it doesn't make sense -- it reads one way but can only mean the
> other.  What I was suggesting that someone might remember locutions
> like "had in proportion [to some other *small* characteristic] a small
> head" -- which I think is logically OK -- and gone on to "had a
> proportionately [to some other *large* characteristic] small head" --
> which I think is logically mind-blowing.
> 
> Joel
> 
> 
> >JL
> >
> >On Mon, Jan 12, 2015 at 11:38 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net>
> wrote:
> >
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > > Subject:      Re: proportionately = 'disproportionately'
> > >
> > >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------
> > >
> > > At 1/12/2015 11:02 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > >
> > > >  http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/t/turiasaurus.html
> > > >
> > > >"Despite being around thirty meters long however,=E2=80=AD
> > > *=E2=80=ACTurias=
> > > aurus* had a
> > > >proportionately small head with a skull about seventy centimetres
> long."
> > >
> > > Error evolving from "had in proportion a small=20
> > > head"? -- meaning it was too small for the rest=20
> > > of it; it was not "the right size"  I'd accept that.
> > >
> > > Joel=20
> > >
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