save = prevent?

[Paul Ivsin]

Here's one from an East Sussex County Council press release from December
1999 -- interesting because it uses two (seemingly contradictory) senses of
"save" in the same sentence:

...   ...   ...
A few moments thinking about the possible hazards and taking any necessary
steps to remove them, could save a tragedy - or even a life.
...   ...   ...

(http://www.eastsussexcc.gov.uk/pnotices/1999/dec99/301_page.htm)


Paul
(who can't shift frames that fast anymore)
...
Paul Ivsin
paul at ivsin.com
...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lynne Murphy" <lynnem at COGS.SUSX.AC.UK>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 9:29 AM
Subject: save = prevent?


>>From an AP story today:

"That's what allowed the bus driver to get it over to the side of the
road," he said. "It may have saved a real tragedy here."
(available at: http://salon.com/news/wire/2001/10/18/bus/index.html)

The speaker is Doug McCleve, spokesman for the Utah Highway Patrol.  The
only appropriate definition of this in AHD4 or NODE is the sports use, in
which to save a goal or a point would be to prevent someone from scoring.

Has this crossed into non-sport use, or is there something else going on
here?  It strikes me as a counterintuitive meaning, but I guess I'm used to
saving good things.

Lynne




M Lynne Murphy
Lecturer in Linguistics
School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

phone +44-(0)1273-678844
fax   +44-(0)1273-671320