Most Notable Quotations of 2008

[Wilson Gray]

I agree with Gerald. I knew that Illinois had a governor, but I didn't
know his name. Professional newsreaders don't even know how to
pronounce his name, apparently. They've been calling him "blah
GOYyevich." The FBI calls him "blag@ YAYvich." Even when I lived in
Saint Louis and partied in East Saint Louis, I never knew the name of
any governor of Illinois other than Adlai Stevenson. OTOH, I've always
known who the ruling lord mayor of Chicago and baron of Cook County
was.

-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
-Mark Twain



On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 10:04 AM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Most Notable Quotations of 2008
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Grant is an expert, so he needs to proceed cautiously.  I'm under no =
> such constraint.
> =20
> Prediction:  It does not have legs.  It will be frequently quoted, but =
> the expletives prevent it's being quoted in full, and that will hamper =
> its longevity.   Besides, I don't think Blagojevich is all that =
> important.  Yes, I know he's the governor, but still, he's just not that =
> important.
> =20
> G.=20
>
> ________________________________
>
> Original message from Grant Barrett,  Wed 12/10/2008 7:18 AM:
>
>
> On Dec 10, 2008, at 07:53, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>
>> I need a quick read on whether this one is likely to have legs.  Any
>> opinions?  Grant, what is your judgment as an authority on political
>> languae?
>
> I long since stopped trying to make serious prognostications about
> language. I'm the guy who thought "podcast" was a loser.
>
> What I do know is that "of the year" lists tend to be over-colored by
> things happening at the end of the year, so it's best to look at late-
> occurring entries with more skepticism than entries from, say, February.
>
> I say wait ten years and let's see.
>
> Grant Barrett
> gbarrett at worldnewyork.org
>
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