descendents

[Jonathan Lighter]

What we discussed before was "ancestors" used to mean descendants. I first noted this from a voodoo priestess on TV a few years back.

  Now the vice has become versa.

  A bad sign for our species.

  JL

Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Wilson Gray
Subject: Re: descendents
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Larry, you've no doubt also noticed that a growing number of people
don't know the difference between English "ambience" from Latin and
English "ambiance" from French.

-Wilson

On 6/15/06, Laurence Horn wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Laurence Horn
> Subject: Re: descendents
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 1:24 PM -0700 6/15/06, FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:
> >I am pretty sure we have discussed this before, where 'descendents'
> >is used in place of 'ancestors.' I found this on a site dedicated to
> >the War of 1812. It seems a bit embarrassing, as you're being told
> >to contact the prime minister. You'd think folks interested in
> >history would get it right.
> >Fritz
> >
> >
> >Tell the Prime Minister Remembering
> >the War of 1812 is Important to Canadians
> >Just CLICK, SIGN, and SEND
> >A 200th Anniversary Initiative to honour
> > the sacrifice of our Descendents.
> >
> Maybe they figured that's the difference between "descendents" and
> "descendants". Or not.
>
> LH
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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