decimate

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:03 PM -0400 7/21/10, George Thompson wrote:
>When Thoreau said that lexicographers lead lives of quiet
>deploration, he had it about right.
>
>GAT
>
>George A. Thompson
>Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre",
>Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

..while most lexicons lead lives of quiet dessication.

>----- Original Message -----
>From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>Date: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 11:44 am
>Subject: Re: decimate
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>>  Let's get this straight one more time:
>>
>>  Language changes: fact. Can't stop change: fact. Gotta love every change:
>>  fiction. By reporting what seems interesting, odd, or even regrettable
>>  I am
>>  making rules for others to follow: absurd fiction.
>>
>>  I couldn't [sic] care less if "beer" began to mean "alcoholic beverage"
>>  right this minute, except insofar as it would make communicating that
>>  much
>>  more difficult. When today's adults ask for beer, we don't expect
>>  vodka or
>>  tequila or champagne. Clarifying that expectation would be one
>>  more unwelcome annoyance for us. In other words, a bad thing. But it might
>>  not be a problem for advanced speakers of Inglish in, say, the 22nd century
>>  with their goldfish-bowl hats and 300-year life expectancies.
>>
>>  Lighten up.
>>
>  > JL
>>

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