[Ads-l] "unclear of the concept"

[Laurence Horn]

I would say it's more a case of leveling--not an eggcorn since there's no
folk-etymological "story" the "of" would be in service to (in service
of?).  It's something I've noticed over the 70+ years I've been observing
language, the replacement of other prepositions by "of", the least marked.
Another example is "bored of", which for me is still "bored with". Some of
you will have your own examples. I've heard, and probably used, "unclear
about the concept" as well as "on the concept", but the substitution by
"of" isn't unexpected.

LH

On Sun, Mar 6, 2022 at 10:37 AM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> Here's an instance of "unclear of the concept," where in my ideolect I'd
> use "unclear *on* the concept."
>
> Eggcorn? Variant? What's the defining difference between the two? Is it
> a reanalysis or a substitution?
>
> https://www.gocomics.com/theknightlife/2022/03/06
>
> ---Amy West
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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