incent : a big SOTA

[Dennis R. Preston]

Wouldn't it be better to enforce personal language prejudices on the
LPS-L (Language Police Society List) than here at ADS-L.

dInIs



>How many are aware that English contains a verb "to incent," meaning
>"to provide with and incentive" ?  I sure didn't, at least not until
>Governor George Pataki (R. -N.Y.) promised a few minutes ago to
>"incent consumers" to switch to ethanol.
>
>   Making the situation far more dire is that my OED colleagues can
>prove that "incent" has been in print at least since 1977.  After
>nearly thirty years, we should not be surprised to learn that even
>little children, somewhere, are learning to lisp it.  One can only
>prophesize that these little children will soon be incented to grow
>the economy.
>
>   Won't you join me in taking the Pledge never to use the discrete
>phonemic sequence "incent" in speech or writing as long as you live,
>and beyond if possible ?  And won't you do your best to scourge and
>discomfit the misguided souls who do use it ?
>
>   JL
>
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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