[Ads-l] Manually--now also by foot?

Dave Hause dwhause at CABLEMO.NET
Thu Jul 23 16:32:46 UTC 2015


As well as non-automatically, "manually" also implies (to me, anyway) 
"unpowered."
Dave Hause
-----Original Message----- 
From: Chris Waigl
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2015 12:38 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Manually--now also by foot?

On 22 Jul 2015, at 07:32, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> I don't see an issue with "manually" referring to a process requiring =
a
> finger on the keyboard to make each step happen.

It doesn=92t, though, does it. The =93finger on the keyboard=94 is only =
one of multiple
input methods that the computer could use, and whether or not the =
process is done=20
manually (in the sense of *this* sentence, doesn=92t depend on whether I =
use the keyboard,
the mouse, eye-tracking or voice control.

I could also give students instructions to a) graph some =
function-or-other and b)
=93do the calculation manually=94 for a number of sample values, and =
would expect that
the manual calculation could be executed mentally, without writing =
anything down
or typing anything in at all.=20

This said, if the operation is literally via the foot I cringe a little =
to call it=20
manual, given that the word evokes =93hand=94 for me. I ran it by my =
(native-speaker)=20
spouse, and she asked for clarification whether the problem was =
=93manually=94 for=20
pedal operations, and then said she=92s fine with it. She elaborated =
that in her=20
usage, =93manually=94 has come to mean =93not automatically=94, which is =
what is meant here.

Chris 

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list