ADS-L Digest - 7 Jan 2008 to 8 Jan 2008 (#2008-9)

[Geraldine Hizer]

I'm new to LIST ("Query or quibble") and have come into the Digest in  midst
of very erudite exchange re: "decimate" - I shall use it more  knowledgeably
now, but hold with James Smith's final word (whatever it means)  "<snip>", and
use decimate in its idiomatic  sense. But will know in my heart of hearts that
it literally means "one in  ten".
I am truly enjoying these discussions, have learned another new word,
"rhotic" - will just remember Sp. for dog, "perrrro" - and will bet my linguist  son
knows it, and just has never considered it conversationally viable at our
house.
One thing sure, I have always 'parsed' every word, even as each  one is
uttered - (only if you do it, will you understand...it  makes for a lot of "uh's")
- and perhaps that's what a very impressive  pundit/icon/guru is doing in his
every hesitant, well-considered, word.
"Well-considered" being the catch-word here, I need to do that more  often.
Thanks for the day-brighteners.
Gerry Hizer



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