Dyslexia and English Orthography was "surprise"

[Bill Palmer]

I'm curious to know how an obscene ad hominem attack such as this post
carries could possibly construed by anyone as advancing the interest in and
study of the English language as spoken in North America.

I'm reminded of Henry Kissisnger's remark that professorial egos within the
humanities are so large, because the consequences are so small.

Bill Palmer

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Mandel" <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2009 8:51 PM
Subject: Re: Dyslexia and English Orthography was "surprise"


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Dyslexia and English Orthography was "surprise"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Ach, I should've realized. I block all of TZ's posts, and only see
> anything he's said if someone else quotes it. Yes, of course he's
> ignorant of that distinction. Fuckhead. (Yes, I'm *using* it here. Of
> him. He's earned the epithet.)
>
> Mark Mandel
>
>
>
> On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 5:06 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
>> At 3:36 PM -0500 2/22/09, Mark Mandel wrote:
>>>Larry wrote, replying to Gerald Walton [full context below]:
>>>
>>>>  Or would these all be acceptable to cite because invoking them
>>>>would involve not *using* but *mentioning* obscene words?
>>>
>>>I think so. He and Scot(?) both DID say "use", and all your examples
>>>are mentions. The difference, of course, is enormous. In explaining it
>>>to non-linguists in the context of taboo words, I've successfully used
>>>the analogy of a forensic chemist who WORKS WITH poisons and toxins
>>>all the time, but never USES them on himself or others.
>>>
>>>   forensic chemistry : work with :: linguistics : mention
>>>
>>>m a m
>>
>> Maybe so in general, Mark, but not in the context of this discussion.
>> You'll recall that the argument for avoiding obscenity was initiated
>> by Tom Z's, whose response to my posting was as follows:
>>
>> =================
>> Worlds collide.
>>
>> I don't need your vulgar world.
>>
>> I'm here for kids.  Simple phonetic spelling.  Simplicity of
>> standardized pronunciation in a way most communicative.  Simple
>> teaching for enhanced learning of English.
>>
>> What's important to you has zero importance to me.  In fact it
>> saddens me.  Slang dosen't bother me.  Gratuitous vulgarity does.
>> =================
>> But I can imagine a different response that distinguishes between use
>> and mention, as noted above.
>
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