wide array of death euphemisms

[Robert Wachal]

Do you have any hard evidence for your assertion?

At 04:35 PM 9/2/2004, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Courtney Stastyshyn <castas01 at MOREHEAD-ST.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: wide array of death euphemisms
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>It seems that children today are not tested enough on punctuation.  When
>reading
>something someone wrote, the idea is for it to speak for them, they sound
>ignorant and uneducated to not be able to use the correct punctuation when
>writing.  That bothers me to no end, especially when grammar, syntax,
>semantics
>and the english language is concentrated on so greatly in schools.  Someone's
>not doing their jobs, is it the teachers or the students??
>
>
>
>
>Quoting James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       James Smith <jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: wide array of death euphemisms
> >
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > 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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