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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It IS funny that the adjective "arguable" is
(potentially) an antonym of itself, but bear </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>in </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>mind
that the</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2> second sense ("not obviously true")
is rare.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Prompted by this discussion, I looked at the 628
occurrences of the </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>adverb "arguably"
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>in the British National Corpus. The following
points at </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>least are worth noting:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1. "arguably" is a sentence adverb, <FONT
face=Arial size=2>i.e., like "fortunately",
"sadly",</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2>
"broadly", </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial
size=2>"broadly </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2>speaking", etc., it
</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2>expresses the
attitude of the </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial
size=2>writer or speaker to what he or she is </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2>saying -- rather
than</FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2> modifying a verb or an
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>adjective </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>directly</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>. This particular sentence
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>adverb seeks to "objectivize" the </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>opinion being expressed by hinting coyly that there
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>might be good rational arguments to </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>support it, without actually saying what they
are.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2. The adverb only has the sense "It
could be argued that." It never means "not</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>obviously true". (Asymmetry of this kind
between adv. and adj. is more common </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>than English dictionacties acknoweldge -- compare
"lamely" for example. The adj. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"lame" has two senses, but in normal use --
i.e. excluding the imagination of linguists -- </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>the adv. "lamely" has only one sense, namely
"inadequately", NOT "with an injured leg".)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3. The statement is almost always an
evaluation or comparison </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>on a scale of some
</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>kind (sometimes </FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2>implied, </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>more often explicit, and very
often with a </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>superlative, expressing the
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>top of the scale):</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2> ... </FONT><STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>arguably</FONT></STRONG>
her best novel ...</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT
size=3></FONT></FONT> </FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2> ... <FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff>arguably</FONT></STRONG> one of the most powerful people in
Hollywood<FONT face=Arial size=2>... </FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT
size=3> </FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3><FONT face=Arial size=2>
... N.C. is </FONT><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>arguably</FONT></STRONG> </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>the most over-rated linguist since Horne
Took [I made this one
up]</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> Charles ... had a claim to the French throne which was
<STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff>arguably</FONT></STRONG> as good as Edward III's.
<DIV> Comedy ... is <STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff>arguably</FONT></STRONG> a higher skill [than tragedy], as many a
performer knows.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT><FONT> The form of dependence of the world upon God
suggested by Aquinas ... is <STRONG><FONT
color=#0000ff>arguably</FONT></STRONG> a continuous rather than an initial
dependence. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT><FONT><FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Patrick
</FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=pomazi.gy@hungarnet.hu href="mailto:pomazi.gy@hungarnet.hu">Pomázi
Gyöngyi</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com">lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 25, 2005 10:50
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Lexicog] arguably</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Arguable has two meanings, 1. something is true,
many people would agree with it, 2. something is not obviously true or correct
(Collins).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>You can use arguably when you are stating your
opinion or belief, as a way of giving more authorithy to it. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But funny, you are right.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gwen</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=wayne_leman@sil.org href="mailto:wayne_leman@sil.org">Wayne
Leman</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com">lexicographylist@yahoogroups.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, August 25, 2005 10:35
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Lexicog] arguably</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><TT>Could someone on the list help me understand the word
"arguably"? I hear it <BR>used a lot. I think I understand what it means.
I've read its dictionary <BR>meanings. I didn't grow up hearing or using it.
Is there some "hook" to <BR>remember what it means. My brain has gotten it
backwards, I think, where it <BR>seems to me that "unarguably" would make
more sense instead of saying <BR>"arguably." If we have to argue over
something it's not clear to everyone.<BR><BR>"Chomsky is arguably the
greatest linguist who has every lived."<BR><BR>Well, of course, we can
quibble over the claim of that sentence, but how can <BR>I get it into my
head what "arguably" means there?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Wayne Leman
<BR><BR></TT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>
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