Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]

Sun Jul 18 00:31:09 UTC 2010

Let's get back to linguistics. You know how Sarah Palin has that distinctive
Northwest "g-dropping" thing?  Well, the latest Gallup Poll says she's the
way-ahead Republican fave for 2012.

Great - but blatantly unfair - story-related pic:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/0717/Sarah-Palin-leads-the-GOP-presidential-pack-for-2012

JL

On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 8:17 PM, David A. Daniel <dad at pokerwiz.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Cool. Save your Dixie cups, the South may be redeemable.
> DAD
>
>
> If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of
> Bill Palmer
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 9:04 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
>
>
>
> BTW, further research reveals tough talkin', straight-shootin', don't mess
> with Alabama Dale P could not garner more than 27% of the vote in the
> primary for which this campaign commercial was produced.  So maybe Alabama
> Republicans  are more discerning than they are getting credit for.  Altho
> Jefferson Beauregard Sessions appears to have done OK w/ them.
>
> Another begging of y'all's pardon for the OT.
>
>
> Bill P
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 7:50 PM
> Subject: Re: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
>
>
> >
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
> >
> > Below is part of a private exchange between Bill Palmer and moi, for the
> > edification of anyone who would be edified.
> > DAD
> >
> > Subject: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
> >
> > Ah, you are skirting, here, the principles of the Danielian Axiom of
> Human
> > Metamorphosis. First formulated while the formulator was having what can
> > only be described as a who's-on-first conversation with a brainless twit
> > from the IRS, and then perfected over some forty years of observation
> > around
> > the world, the Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis states that:
> >
> > Any time a human being is elected or appointed to government service, his
> > brains turn to shit.
> >
> > This also applies, to a greater or lesser degree, to those who aspire to
> > elected or appointed government service.
> >
> > I know, I know, I must have just offended like three-quarters of the list
> > who are/have been/know someone dear in government service. But if you
> > think
> > about it, and if you examine your heart of hearts, you will know it is
> > true:
> > working for the government changes the way your brain works, and not to
> > the
> > good.
> >
> > So, yes, to your point, Republicans and Democrats alike are subject to
> the
> > Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis. But, I contend that Republicans
> > are
> > the true villains because they are ideologically false.
> >
> > As you point out, a Republican will preach to you about family values and
> > then get caught in a public bathroom/with a hooker/picking up boys/etc. A
> > Republican will preach to you about small, controlled, balanced-budget
> > government, then send the deficits into the stratosphere. A Republican
> > will
> > preach to you about individual liberties, and then tap your phone/hack
> > your
> > computer/requisition your library take-out records. A Republican will
> > preach
> > to you about the evils of homosexuality, then take off on a vacation with
> > a
> > male prostitute. Et cetera and so forth. So this, in, admittedly, very
> > brief
> > summary, is why I figure Republicans are the worst of everything
> > moral/ethical.
> >
> > Democrats do the bad stuff too but are much less likely to be
> hypocritical
> > about it. A Democrat who gets caught with a hooker has probably gone on
> > record saying it should be legal (or has at least not published tirades
> > against it). A Democrat will be more likely to (i) vote for gay rights
> and
> > (ii) be openly gay. A Democrat is much more likely to say, "Well, yes, we
> > are going to have to raise taxes", while the Republican says, "Read my
> > lips:
> > no new taxes" - and then we get new taxes. Democrats tend to get
> > themselves
> > into political trouble - and/or not get elected in the first place -
> > because
> > they are more inclined to tell it like it is, especially when "like it
> is"
> > is bad news. If you see what I mean.
> >
> > My conservative friends say I have a different belief system from theirs.
> > That is incorrect. Correct is: they have a belief system, I do not.
> >
> > I have a "let's think about it" system. This system is (i) fairly typical
> > of
> > many Democrats I've encountered and (ii) one reason Democrats are a less
> > cohesive block than Republicans. You get a few hundred Democrats (ex:
> > congress and senate) sitting around thinking about stuff and they are
> > going
> > to come up with lots of different conclusions. Republican don't think;
> > they
> > knee-jerk react. This is why, for example, Republicans are virtually 100%
> > against abortion, whereas Democrats are split and tend to waffle on the
> > issue. In fact, this is why Democrats, as a party, tend to waffle in
> > general: they (we) think too much.
> >
> > Looking for linguistic relevance here, lest anyone wonder, we have: use
> of
> > language to fool people, and the greater likelihood of Republicans to use
> > it
> > thus.
> > DAD
> >
> > If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bill Palmer [mailto:w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net]
> > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 3:21 PM
> > To: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
> > Subject: Re: Re: Whilst
> >
> > Dave,
> >
> > Excellent catch on the "during"...just exactly the kind of weasel wording
> > I'd expect on someone of his ilk.
> >
> > Republicans, to me, are totally as crass, dishonest, corrupt,
> > philandering,
> > and whatever else, as Democrats.  I don't think this sort of thing is a
> > respecter of party affiliation.  But what's amazing, in the best example
> > ever of a Charlie Brown/Lucy holding the football routine, Rep's will
> call
> > themselves "family values", and all the synonoms, and people buy it...no
> > matter the David Vitters, Larry Craigs, Foley (in FL), ad nauseaum.
> > Countless examples still have not demonstrated to the "values" voter that
> > Republican doesn't necessarily mean saint.
> >
> > Bill
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> > To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:22 PM
> > Subject: Re: Whilst
> >
> >
> >>
> >>
> >> And did you notice he said he was a Marine "during" Vietnam, not "in",
> as
> >> misspoken by that guy in Massachusetts (don't remember his name and
> don't
> >> feel like looking it up). I wonder if that was part of a cascade effect,
> >> or
> >> if he goes around saying "during" normally. I thought the rifle was
> cute;
> >> no
> >> use wasting a thousand words when one picture will do. OTOH, he said,
> "we
> >> are Republicans, so we are better than that." I've always found
> >> Republicans
> >> to be the worst of everything moral/ethical. But I guess he doesn't
> think
> >> so. (I thought he said 5 billion. No?)
> >> DAD
> >>
> >>
> >> If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf
> >> Of
> >> Bill Palmer
> >> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:59 PM
> >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> Subject: Re: Whilst
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> [OT] Linguistics aside, it's just a very arresting commercial. I don't
> >> know
> >> about y'all, but I certainly do want a well-armed ag commissioner in my
> >> state.
> >>
> >> Since I'm already off-topic, $5 million seems like a pretty picayune
> >> budget
> >> for the ag commissioner in a  state like Alabama.
> >>
> >> And another thing (since Dale brings it up and includes dog tags in his
> >> campaign graphic, and as a retired military officer I can say this ...we
> >> have gotten to the point that
> >> military veteran = selfless saint, personification of honor and virtue.
> >> Military personnel come out of the human race like everyone else. (Still
> >> though, I wish more members of congress & the administration would have
> >> served, so they would have some idea of the effects of their actions.
> >>
> >> My apologies for the rant.
> >>
> >> Bill P
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "David Wake" <dnwake at GMAIL.COM>
> >> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:16 AM
> >> Subject: Re: Whilst
> >>
> >>
> >>>
> >>
> >
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> ---
> >>>
> >>> Listen to the way this guy from Alabama says "why".
> >>>
> >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQdTgkY321s
> >>>
> >>> Sent from my iPhone
> >>>
> >>> On Jul 16, 2010, at 20:20, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> ---
> >>>> ---
> >>>> ---
> >>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>
> >>>> I looked up "whilst" in the "MacMillan Dictionary for Children" that
> >>>> I just bought (I'm collecting dictionaries).  It does not contain
> >>>> the word "whilst".  Only "while" and that in verb form as well.
> >>>> (Does whilst have a verb form too?)
> >>>>
> >>>> Interestingly every word that starts with "wh" is given a first
> >>>> pronunciation of ~hw and a second of ~w (except those pronounced as
> >>>> ~h, as in who).  I never hear ~hw in USA.  I don't say ~hw so that
> >>>> may have something to do with it.
> >>>>
> >>>> Imagine "whoa" as "hwoa"
> >>>>
> >>>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
> >>>> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ----------------------------------------
> >>>>> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:11:25 -0300
> >>>>> From: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
> >>>>> Subject: Whilst
> >>>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >>>>>
> >>>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>>> -----------------------
> >>>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
> >>>>> Poster: "David A. Daniel"
> >>>>> Subject: Whilst
> >>>>> ---
> >>>>> ---
> >>>>> ---
> >>>>> ---
> >>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>>
> >>>>> A while ago, TZ and somebody - don't remember who - had a tiff
> >>>>> about whether
> >>>>> Americans say whilst. TZ was saying they do not. I agreed (quietly
> >>>>> - I
> >>>>> didn't write anything) at the time, thinking it mostly a Britism.
> >>>>> Well,
> >>>>> immediately thereafter I started hearing whilst all over the place on
> >>>>> American TV shows. I thought: hmph. But then I thought: a lot of
> >>>>> writers for
> >>>>> US TV are Brits and Canadians as are many actors in the US. So
> >>>>> maybe there
> >>>>> was dialect leak going on, with American actors saying Brit/
> >>>>> Canadian-written
> >>>>> lines, or Brit/Canadian actors saying whilst and not knowing
> >>>>> they're not
> >>>>> supposed to. I was satisfied with that hypothesis until the other
> >>>>> day I was
> >>>>> watching CNN and the interviewee, the District Attorney of some
> >>>>> Podunk
> >>>>> county in Ohio, said whilst. So now I'm in a funk and don't know
> >>>>> what to
> >>>>> think. Maybe he is another sleeper spy who missed the ESL class on
> >>>>> while/whilst and thus gave himself away, like when Tony Franciosa
> >>>>> said
> >>>>> loo-tenant instead of leff-tenant and gave himself away as not
> >>>>> being a Brit.
> >>>>> DAD
> >>>>>
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> >> L:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_1
> >>>>
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> >>
> >
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