"precedures" and "bullets"

[Jonathan Lighter]

I was marveling, not criticizing.

  The careful enunciation - along with the 100,000 hits - suggests that this is a term of art.  But it may still be an established stupidism for "procedure."

  No breaks for established stupidisms.

  JL



"hpst at earthlink.net" <hpst at EARTHLINK.NET> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "hpst at earthlink.net"
Subject: Re: "precedures" and "bullets"
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JL,

Give the woman a break.

I don't know how many times you have been interviewed on live TV but I can
tell you from experience that it can be very disconcerting when you are
told to look into the camera and to answer questions from someone you can
not see so you might very well say or pronounce a word incorrectly or even
use the wrong word.

I know that I have done it in the past and fully expect to do it again in
the future.

As soon as the word passes your lips you think Oops but if you are on live
there is nothing you can do to change it without appearing to be an even
more damned fool than you already appear to be so you let it pass and hope
that no one notices.

You may be correct about your analysis but there is an alternate
explanation for her mistake.

Page Stephens


> [Original Message]
> From: Jonathan Lighter
> To:
> Date: 8/28/2006 12:27:24 PM
> Subject: [ADS-L] "precedures" and "bullets"
>
> Debbie Hersman, a member of the NTSB, has just explained at a news
conference that her team will investigate "all precedures" related to
yesterday's plane crash.
>
> Her enunciation was quite clear: "pree-cedures." If it means anything,
it could be "preliminary procedures." Maybe.
>
> Well over 100,000 raw Googlits for "precedure/s."
>
> She also promised to reveal "some bullets" (i.e., "brief highlights")
from the plane's flight recorder.
>
> JL
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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