LSSU Banished Words list, 2008

[Dennis Preston]

LH,

Don't tell me that there are enough of them to decimate!

dInIs



>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: LSSU Banished Words list, 2008
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 3:56 PM -0500 1/2/08, Dennis Preston wrote:
>>arnold,
>>
>>Couldn't they (pretty-please) be "peevies"; diminution would so suit them.
>>
>
>--almost as much as decimation would.
>
>LH
>
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>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at CSLI.STANFORD.EDU>
>>>Subject:      Re: LSSU Banished Words list, 2008
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>On Jan 2, 2008, at 9:17 AM, John Baker wrote:
>>>
>>>>   ... Their complaints on "give back," "emotional," and that old stand-
>>>>   by, "decimate," just seem silly...
>>>
>>>for "decimate", note: "Word-watchers have been calling for the
>>>annihilation of this one for several years."
>>>
>>>make that "for at least 138 years", since 1870 (when Richard Grant
>>>White raved about it).  nice instance of the Recency Illusion, but for
>>>peeves rather than usages.
>>>
>>>i have a Language Log posting in preparation in which i nominate
>>>"decimate" for the Peevy Award for Lifetime Achievement among Great
>>>Language Peeves (peeves that are widespread, of long standing, and
>>>passionately advocated, in the face of solid long-time contrary
>>>practice by educated speakers and writers, not to mention a thoroughly
>>>specious rationale for the peeve).
>>>
>>>it's a crowded field, but "decimate" is a truly outstanding contender.
>>>
>>>arnold
>>>
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>>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>
>>--
>>Dennis R. Preston
>>University Distinguished Professor
>>Department of English
>>Morrill Hall 15-C
>>Michigan State University
>>East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>>
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>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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