[Ads-l] "I'm simply time-wasting."

Randy Alexander strangeguitars at GMAIL.COM
Thu Nov 27 10:04:49 UTC 2014


Maybe we're moving toward SOV.

Randy

On Thu, Nov 27, 2014 at 5:35 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "I'm simply time-wasting."
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I'd have said "time-wasting" sounds more like an occupation while =
> "wasting time" is just=85something to do.  Although the "simply" may =
> throw a monkey wrench into my compelling analysis.
>
> Of course elsewhere similar distinctions have more heft, e.g. "he's a =
> time-server" vs. "he's serving time".
>
> LH
>
>
> On Nov 26, 2014, at 4:02 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>
> > Say what, now? Is there a semantic distinction between this and
> >=20
> > "I'm simply wasting time"?
> >=20
> > =
> http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/21/brain-training-online-neuro=
> science-elizabeth-day
> >=20
> > --=20
> > -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
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
Randy Alexander
Manchu studies: http://www.sinoglot.com/manchu
Language in China (group blog): http://www.sinoglot.com/blog
Music: http://www.metafilter.com/activity/56219/posts/music/

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