invading Pearl Harbor

[Garson O'Toole]

 Jonathan Lighter wrote
> Back in February I noted the academic who in 2006  mentioned the Japanese
> "invasion" of Pearl Harbor (though damned if I can find the discussion in
> the Archives).

Here is a link to your earlier posting in the ADS archive:
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1002A&L=ADS-L&P=R6923

The following search query finds about 9 relevant hits in the archive
dated 2010 February 5.
Narrow Search: Subject Contains: Pearl Harbor
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?S2=ADS-L&q=&s=Pearl+Harbor&f=&a=&b=

Google Books contains a few works that mention the invasion of Pearl
Harbor by Japan. This remarkably evanescent event escaped detection by
most historians. However, an authoritative reference mentioning this
inexplicably overlooked pivotal occurrence was produced by
Merriam-Webster in 1997.

Citation: 1997, Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Page 1225,
Column 2, Merriam-Webster, Inc. (Google Books limited view)

Dictionary entry for United States: ... entered WWII after Japanese
invasion of Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941 ...

http://books.google.com/books?id=Co_VIPIJerIC&q=%22invasion+of+Pearl%22#v=snippet&

The Japanese did invade the airspace of Pearl Harbor.

(continuing  Jonathan Lighter's post)
>
> He wasn't alone:
>
> 1996 Clarice Swisher, ed. _Readings on John Steinbeck_ (San Diego:
> Greenhaven Press) 22: He finished the manuscript...just before the Japanese
> invasion of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
>
> Ignorance of semantics or of history?  A cynical s.o.b. might suggest that
> these characterizations (and presumably a million others unrecorded) of the
> attack as an "invasion" may mask a genuine ignorance of history. If the
> Japanese really "invaded," then the "invasion" was obviously repulsed. In
> that case the devastating air attack was secondary to the failed invasion.
>
> So we won at Pearl Harbor. No biggie.
>
> JL
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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