Conversate and basically

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 06:30 PM 1/24/01 -0600, you wrote:
>>Personally, the word conversate leaves a yucky taste in my mouth. If it
>>becomes more popular, then it probably will stop doing so. Just as I've
>>come
>>to like asparagus and broccoli, one day I might come to like conversate.
>>Right now, however, I don't. And even though I think it still sounds silly,
>>"That's not my fortay," no longer sounds yucky to me.
>>
>>Benjamin Barrett
>
>Rather like orientate and commentate. In this case, they actually have a
>different sense than the shorter verb. Orientate is what companies and
>colleges do to new employees/students. Commentate is what talking-heads do
>off the tops of their heads, vs the thoughtful stuff you get in other
>contexts.
>
>Conversate, tho', does not have a distinct meaning from 'converse'. It's an
>unnecessary word.
>
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Well, no word is "necessary," and likewise all words are
"unnecessary."  But I want to clarify that the use of "conversate" I saw in
our student newspaper was by an African American student writer, not a
professional columnist.  My impression (maybe wrong) is that this is an AAE
usage which is not yet common in other speech communities.  I read the
first message to say that Judge Ronnie White, not John Ashcroft, used the
word, but later someone wrote that Ashcroft used it.  Did both use
it?  This wouldn't be surprising, of course, since usages spread--and maybe
"conversate" already has.

BTW, it is my understanding that "orientate" is the preferred Brit Eng for
Am Eng "orient," though I've heard both here too.

_____________________________________________
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