"Freedom of stench"

[Bill Palmer]

Interesting side note...from my recall of Anglo-Saxon,of about 45 years ago,
"stench" (written then, I think as "stenc") meant any kind of smell or odor,
not just an unpleasant one.

One of the professors out there, tell me what is the name for that process
...when the meaning of a word undergoes a degradation in meaning.


Bill Palmer
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From: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 7:23 AM
Subject: "Freedom of stench"


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      "Freedom of stench"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A reporter on ABC TV's "Good Morning America" today, noting that the
> city council had delayed action on the bill described below after
> constitutional questions had been raised, asked whether there was a
> "freedom of stench".
>
> "Honolulu City Council is considering a bill that would impose up to
> $500 fine and/or up to 6 months in jail for transit passengers
> convicted of being too smelly."
> [KGMB.com, September 1.]
> http://kgmb9.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20721&Itemid=76
>
> Merely 4 Google hits on "freedom of stench" this morning, despite the
> fact that this news is an immense two days old, none related to the
> Honolulu bill.
>
> Joel
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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