more begging of the question.

[Scot LaFaive]

This passive use certainity is odd to me, though a bit humorous to imagine.

Scot LaFaive


>From: Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: more begging of the question.
>Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:33:17 -0400
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: more begging of the question.
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>That would make sense and we could read it that way if Nelson had said "the
>question is begging" or "the question begs."
>
>But he uses the passive: "the question is begged."
>
>mhc
>
>Quoting "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>:
>
> > Isn't it here "the question begs (pleads) to be answered" (which
> > makes some sense to me), rather than "a person begs the question"?
> >
> >
> > At 4/12/2007 02:06 AM, Michael wrote:
> > >Wednesday: Senator Bill Nelson D-Florida, heard on C-SPAN.
> > >
> > >"...the question is begged to be answered."
> > >
> > >I'm not sure I even understand how he thinks this sentence makes sense.
>But
> > >perhaps now when someone 'begs the question' it's because the answer is
>in
> > >control of whether or not it can be answered.
> > >
> > >"Please be answered!" we might plead of especially difficult questions.
> > >
> > >Michael Covarrubias
> > >
> > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> > >   English Language & Linguistics
> > >   Purdue University
> > >   mcovarru at purdue.edu
>
> > >   web.ics.purdue.edu/~mcovarru
> > >  <http://wishydig.blogspot.com>
>
> > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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