begging the question

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:09 AM -0700 7/5/01, Peter A. McGraw wrote:
>Using "beg the question" synonymously with "raise the question" seems
>pretty widespread in broadcast journalism.  It certainly isn't confined to
>sportscasters: I hear it all the time on ABC News and I think also NPR.  I
>think this usage was discussed awhile back on this list.


Yes, it was.  I also remember being asked about such (not to beg the
question) "extended" uses of the expression on the Usage Panel survey
for ADH4, but now that I have the edition, I can't find any entry for
"beg the question" at all (at least not under "beg" or "question").
Or maybe it was for the entry to appear in AHD5.  I seem to have
repressed my response--I probably did let my recessive prescriptivist
genes whale (or is it wail?) away at this one.

larry

>
>Peter Mc.
>
>--On Thursday, July 5, 2001 11:00 AM -0400 George Thompson
><george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:
>
>>I have on several occasions heard Gary Cohen, a radio broadcaster for
>>the NY Mets, use the phrase "beg the question" incorrectly.
>
>[snip]
>
>  These quotations beg the question: is
>>it becoming a common usage to use the phrase "beg the question" as if
>>it means "asks the question" or "raises the question"?
>
>