In the December Vocabula Now Online: Them's Crying Words

[Jonathan Lighter]

The word "Christmas" is OFFENSIVE to non-Catholics. It really means "Christ's Mass."
  The words "Yule" and "Yuletide" are OFFENSIVE to all Christians. They actually refer to a North European pagan holiday.

  The word "Noel" is inadequate because it simply means "birthday."  Correct terms for the holiday are "The Noel of Jesus" and "Jesus' Birthday."

  Non-Catholics and non-Christians alike are appropriately outraged to be wished a "Merry Christmas."  But a cheery "Happy Birthday of Jesus to you!" should send everyone away smiling.

  JL


"Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Dennis R. Preston"

Subject: Re: In the December Vocabula Now Online: Them's Crying Words
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Is "Peter Bowler" a bawdy pseudonym? I ask, since years ago I
suffered badly after being introduced to a real "Randy Cox" and
reacting as if my leg had been pulled. I don't want to err again.

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: Laurence Horn
>Subject: Re: In the December Vocabula Now Online: Them's Crying Words
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>
>At 7:38 AM -0500 12/16/07, The Vocabula Review wrote:
>>In the December Issue of Vocabula
>>
>>IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE OF VOCABULA
>>
>>...
>>The Superior Person's Field Guide to
>>Deceitful, Deceptive & Downright Dangerous Language
>>by Peter Bowler
>>
>>decimate, to v. For the information of journalists and for all
>>radio and TV presenters: to "decimate" a group of people or things
>>does not mean to kill, destroy, ravage, defeat, or lay waste all or
>>most of that group. This all-too-common usage is a classic example
>>of the mistake that can be made by learning the meaning of a word
>>solely from the context in which it is first encountered, and not
>>from the dictionary. To decimate is to kill, destroy, or otherwise
>>remove from the scene one in every ten of the members of that group.
>>Get it right! More ...
>
>I wonder whether Mr. Bowler has children, and if so whether he
>strictly forbade them to use any word (starting with "papa") before
>learning its meaning from "the dictionary". I also wonder how he
>managed to locate a dictionary (much less "the dictionary") which
>will make sure that these children will encounter only the 'remove
>one in every ten of' sense of _decimate_ and not, say, 'to destroy or
>kill a large part of (a group)' [AHD]. True, the OED brands this use
>as "rhetorical"/"loose", but then the 'kill or destroy, remove one in
>every ten of' is a "transf." use. The original (and hence only real)
>use is 'to select and put to death one in every ten of (a body of
>soldiers guilty of mutiny or other crime'. Well, that would
>certainly make it easy for Mr. Bowler's hypothetical children to
>avoid this troublesome verb.
>
>LH
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
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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