LSSU Banished Words list, 2008

[Laurence Horn]

>LH,
>
>Don't tell me that there are enough of them to decimate!
>
>dInIs

I'm speaking loosely.

>
>
>
>>---------------------- 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
>>
>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>-----------------------
>>>>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
>>>>
>>>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>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
>>>
>>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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