belated WOTY

[Dennis R. Preston]

What's "unintelligent" about a new lexical item? Let's not confuse "style"
and language.

dInIs

>Dennis: Since when are sportscasters interested in quickness (or accuracy,
>for that matter)? They have all that dead air to fill; why not fill it with
>intelligent comments and language?
>
>Jerry Miller
>
>
>        Jerry,
>
>        You jest got more time to talk than me. I still like "audibilizing"
>for its
>        quickness and accuracy.
>
>        dInIs (to busy fer all them dang syllables)
>
>        >Dennis: No, I'd say, "He's changing the play at the line of
>scrimmage," or,
>        >"He's calling a new play at the line of scrimmage" - there's really
>no need
>        >to note that it is "audible" (and, as we saw this past weekend, in
>Minnesota
>        >and Seattle, it isn't always).
>        >
>        >Jerry Miller
>        >
>        >
>        >> -----Original Message-----
>        >> From: Dennis R. Preston [SMTP:preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU]
>        >> Sent: Monday, January 10, 2000 3:40 PM
>        >> To:   ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>        >> Subject:      Re: belated WOTY
>        >>
>        >> It's still more like a first (well maybe second) kiss to me. This
>        >> adjective-to-noun form (sure an honored trip in English) has a
>very
>        >> specific (and hard to paraphrase quickly) meaning. Would you say
>he is
>        >> "calling an audible" (which I think we used to say) which,
>semantically,
>        >> is
>        >> a little silly (if you like purely compositional semantics at any
>rate).
>        >>
>        >> dInIs
>        >>
>        >> >        >Scary! No, it's like being in the delivery room, or
>watching the
>        >> >moon rise, or being
>        >> >        >kissed for the first time. The birth and propagation of
>a
>        >> neologism
>        >> >is to be
>        >> >        >enjoyed.
>        >> >        >[Okay, right. A little too much exaggeration.]
>        >> >
>        >> >        Grant: I know you're right, but it is hard to feel
>enjoyment when
>        >> >you hear, for example, John Madden take the already bastardized
>(from
>        >> >adjective to noun) "audible" and twist it into a verb -- "He is
>        >> audiblizing
>        >> >at the line of scrimmage." That feels more like a kick in the
>ass than a
>        >> >first kiss.
>        >> >
>        >> >        Jerry Miller
>        >>
>        >>
>        >> Dennis R. Preston
>        >> Department of Linguistics and Languages
>        >> Michigan State University
>        >> East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
>        >> preston at pilot.msu.edu
>        >> Office: (517)353-0740
>        >> Fax: (517)432-2736
>
>
>        Dennis R. Preston
>        Department of Linguistics and Languages
>        Michigan State University
>        East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
>        preston at pilot.msu.edu
>        Office: (517)353-0740
>        Fax: (517)432-2736