status quo = 'situation'

Fri Mar 18 17:43:49 UTC 2011

I respectfully disagree.

If the analyst had written, "We are facing the possibility of the status quo
becoming entrenched...", I doubt we would be having this conversation.

I read "We may be facing the possibility of an entrenched status quo..." as
meaning the same thing.

DanG

On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 1:21 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: status quo = 'situation'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think the issue is what "means" means.
>
> The speaker chose to say "status quo" when the obvious choice for most of
> u=
> s
> (i.e., me) should have been "situation" or "long-term situation," etc.
>
> On the basis of the evidence, that's what he "meant."
>
> While it may be true that the kind of sitch he's talking about could also
> b=
> e
> described as a "stalemate," "status quo" would not *mean* "stalemate" in a
> dictionary sense except in
> statements such as:
>
> 1. *Nobody's winning! It's a status quo!
>
> Now there certainly are statements such as the following, in which "status
> quo" *refers* to a stalemate:
>
> 2. "What's been happening on the Western Front the past four years?"
> "Nothing much. Status quo."
>
> In 2, "status quo" means 'an existing situation that hasn't changed,'
> which=
> ,
> in this context, implies an actual stalemate.Status quo," under certain
> circumstances, can allude to a stalemate, but I don't believe it ever
> *means* "stalemate," because I don't believe that *anyone* who would say 2
> would also say 1.
>
> Unless they were very weird. So "status quo" doesn't "mean" stalemate.
>
> JL
>
>
> On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 12:25 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: status quo =3D 'situation'
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >
> > To quote Jersey Shores' The Situation:
> >
> > "This is a situation."
> >
> > --
> > -Wilson
> > -----
> > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
> > to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > -Mark Twain
> >
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 12:14 PM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > > Sender: =C2  =C2  =C2  American Dialect Society <
> ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU=
> >
> > > Poster: =C2  =C2  =C2  Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject: =C2  =C2  =C2 Re: status quo =3D 'situation'
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > >
> > > Why is it weird, if the status quo is a stalemate, and expected (by the
> > > analyst) to stay that way?
> > >
> > > DanG
> > >
> > > On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:42 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> > > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> > >
> > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >> -----------------------
> > >> Sender: =C2  =C2  =C2  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.ED
> =
> U>
> > >> Poster: =C2  =C2  =C2  Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > >> Subject: =C2  =C2  =C2 Re: status quo =3D 'situation'
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > >>
> > >> If it means "stalemate," it's even weirder.
> > >>
> > >> Ockham's Razor says it probably doesn't - if you can trust a talking
> > razor.
> > >>
> > >> JL
> > >>
> > >> On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:23 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >> > -----------------------
> > >> > Sender: =C2  =C2  =C2  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.
> =
> EDU>
> > >> > Poster: =C2  =C2  =C2  Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> > >> > Subject: =C2  =C2  =C2 Re: status quo =3D 'situation'
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > >> >
> > >> > How about a contrast to either side winning?
> > >> > DanG
> > >> >
> > >> > On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 11:18 AM, Jonathan Lighter
> > >> > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>wrote:
> > >> >
> > >> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >> > > -----------------------
> > >> > > Sender: =C2  =C2  =C2  American Dialect Society <
> ADS-L at LISTSERV.UG=
> A.EDU>
> > >> > > Poster: =C2  =C2  =C2  Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> > >> > > Subject: =C2  =C2  =C2 status quo =3D 'situation'
> > >> > >
> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >>
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Or maybe 'long-term situation.' =C2 Truly, who can say?:
> >  >> > >
> > >> > > 2011 Reuters
> > >> > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110318/bs_nm/us_markets_oil(March
> > >> > > 18): "We may be facing the possibility of an entrenched status quo
> > >> > between
> > >> > > pro and anti Gaddafi groups," said Harry Tchilinguirian, analyst
> a=
> t
> > BNP
> > >> > > Paribas.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > Though OED defines "status quo" as "the existing state of
> affairs,=
> "
> > it
> > >> > > usually implies a contrast of that state with a different one.
> > >> > > In the ex. above, there's no contrast that I can see.
> > >> > >
> > >> > > JL
> > >> > >
> > >> > > --
> > >> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
> th=
> e
> > >> > truth."
> > >> > >
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> > >> > >
> > >> >
> > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> "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
> > >>
> > >
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> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
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> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --=20
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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