"_sum total_"

[Geoffrey Nunberg]

Yes, this seems to be exactly the same phenomenon. (The only
difference I can see is that 'trésor trové' hasn't had a marginal life
in English the way 'summa totalis' has, so substitution wouldn't be
even a theoretical possibility.) Just one more example and it will be
a nameworthy phenomenon. Decalquemania?

Geoff

> From: Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
> Date: February 16, 2011 4:14:02 AM PST
> Subject: Re: "_sum total_"
>
>
> The "not redundant until reanalysis" situation is like Ben's history
> of "treasure trove":
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-onlanguage-t.html
>
> Neal Whitman
>
> On Feb 16, 2011, at 1:51 AM, geoffrey nunberg <nunberg at ISCHOOL.BERKELEY.EDU
> > wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       geoffrey nunberg <nunberg at ISCHOOL.BERKELEY.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: "_sum total_"
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Well, in this particular case, it might difficult to make the case
>> persuasively. The prescriptivist would have to allow that (a) the
>> individual elements of "sum total" correspond etymologically and
>> formally to the elements of "summa totalis" and (b) the two
>> expressions have identical phrasal meanings (i.e., there actually
>> is a one-to-one semantic mapping between the contemp. Eng. and 15th
>> c. Latin phrases), and (c) "summa totalis" isn't redundant in
>> Latin. But even so, the prescriptive argument would go, in the case
>> of English, "total" shifted its meaning well after the calque was
>> first introduced so as force a reanalysis of the syntax of the
>> phrase and make it redundant now. So the rule would be, you should
>> avoid English "sum total" on grounds of redundancy, but if you want
>> to replace it with the synonymous phrase "summa totalis," knock
>> yourself out.
>>
>> As I said, I think this is the correct analysis, but I have a hard
>> time imagining that anybody would find it satsifying-- I mean, even
>> assuming that it was still okay to substitute a Latin phrase for
>> the corresponding English one in formal prose. In point of fact, of
>> course, nobody ever has to, since "summa totalis" never enters the
>> discussion. But I wonder if there are any other examples of this
>> type.
>>
>> Geoff

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