"Soldier"

[Jonathan Lighter]

It is not literally accurate, but synecdoche sez it's A-OK.

Objections to the usage in this sort of generalized context are not
linguistically based.

In *theory*, "marines," "sailors," or "airmen" would do just as well, but
English hasn't developed that way.

Homer Simpson: "Marge, I agree with you -- in *theory.* In *theory,*
Communism works. In *theory.*"

JL

On Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:03 PM, Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Soldier"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> There are many alternatives e.g.,"military members" "personnel", "members
> of
> the armed forces", etc. but he chose "soldiers", which is inaccurate.
>
> Bill Palmer
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Neal Whitman" <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:57 AM
> Subject: Re: "Soldier"
>
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail
> > header -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: "Soldier"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Maybe he wanted to avoid the confusion of using 'troop' as a
> noncollective
> > count noun (a topic previously covered here, on Language Log, and on
> > Literal-Minded).
> >
> > Neal
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Bill Palmer" <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> > To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:14 AM
> > Subject: "Soldier"
> >
> >
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> >> header -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> >> Subject:      "Soldier"
> >>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> CBS news correspondent Bill Plante reported today that 4,250 "soldiers"
> =
> >> had died in Iraq, although many of them were US Marines along with a few
> >> =
> >> sailors & airmen.
> >>
> >> I read an article recently mentioning the 17 "soldiers" who had been =
> >> killed in the USS Cole bombing.
> >>
> >> There are many, many other recent examples.
> >>
> >> Is "soldier" now taken to mean any member of the armed forces, even =
> >> those who man ships? Or are we now so far into the all-volunteer force =
> >> (>35 years) that none of our journalists have any military experience =
> >> and don't know the proper terminology any more?
> >>
> >> Bill Palmer
> >>
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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