Infinitive form?

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 12:23 PM 10/29/00 +0800, you wrote:
>>  >
>>>  >I was just wondering ... if there is an infinitive verb form for
>>>  >"transition"--besides 'to make a transition.'  What seems most obvious is
>>>  >'to transit'--but I don't think that's it!  Can anyone help?
>>  > There is the intransitive verb "transition" = "make a transition".
>
>Well, I have heard, and on occasion perhaps even used, "to transish"
>[traen'zIsh].
>It's pretty informal, though.  :)
>
>L
I love "transish" and use it informally all the time (sometimes with a
smile and a wink to ward off students' horror at my "sloppy" usage).  And
why not?  It's a perfectly reasonable backformation.

_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm