wide array of death euphemisms

[James Smith]

Yes.


--- Robert Wachal <robert-wachal at UIOWA.EDU> wrote:

> I fail to understand why some folks would get their
> underpants in a twist
> over the harmless lack of punctuation in the very
> clear unpunctuated two
> lines of the message from Kara Everman. I for one am
> tired of these
> "barbarians are at the gates" attitudes. Considering
> the slaughter and
> starvation going on throughout the world, is the
> fact of a few missing
> commas really worthy of comment and parody?
>
> At 12:36 PM 8/31/2004, you wrote:
> >---------------------- Information from the mail
> header
> >-----------------------
> >Sender:       American Dialect Society
> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIOU.EDU>
> >Subject:      Re: wide array of death euphemisms
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >Thanks Mark this is a new phenomenon I encounter
> all the time in
> >undergraduate and especially email writing it
> annoys me too whatever
> >happened to freshman comp?!
> >
> >At 01:10 PM 8/31/2004 -0400, you wrote:
> > >         >>>>>
> > >Date:    Mon, 30 Aug 2004 16:05:08 EDT
> > >From:    Kara Everman <Karaeverman at AOL.COM>
> > >Subject: wide array of death euphemisms
> > >
> > >to identify with the life philosophy of laughing
> instead of crying where
> > >trouble is concerned is the fact of a wide array
> of these death euphemisms
> > >to buy the farm
> > >to bite the dust
> > >curtains
> > >to kick the bucket
> > >to punch ones ticket
> > >to sleep with the fishes
> > >to meet ones maker
> > >  where do these euphemisms originate and how are
> they made
> > >         <<<<<
> > >
> > >Dear Ms. Everman:
> > >
> > >to read unpunctuated text is rather a nuisance
> that is why punctuation was
> > >invented to provide to the reader who after all
> is not present when the text
> > >is being created a partial substitute for the
> writers speakers tone of voice
> > >prosody etc im not sure how to parse the first
> two lines of your message
> > >please use something at least approximating
> standard punctuation thank you
> > >in advance
> > >
> > >Also, what do you mean by (if I read it
> correctly) "to identify with [that
> > >philosophy] *is the fact of*" these euphemisms? I
> don't see anything happy
> > >in "biting the dust".
> > >
> > >Having gotten that off my chest, I'm sure you
> will get useful answers on
> > >this list.
> > >
> > >-- Sincerely,
> > >    Mark A. Mandel
>


=====
James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.




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