"own it for a limited time"

[Dave Wilton]

My guess is that this use of "own" is limited to videos/DVDs; it's used to
emphasize the permanent possession rather than the rental of the video.

They could use "buy," but are probably trying to play down the spending of
money. Commercials like this are extensively tested to see exactly what
words and images are best at convincing you to part with your money, so I am
fairly confident that the usage is quite deliberate.


--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Benjamin Zimmer
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 5:55 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: "own it for a limited time"

Disney only releases its classic movies on DVD for brief periods in
order to boost demand, with _The Lady and the Tramp_ the latest to get
this treatment. A commercial currently running for the DVD exhorts,
"Own it for a limited time!"

Has the verb "own" shifted while I wasn't looking, from 'possess' to
'acquire'?


--Ben Zimmer

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org