[Ads-l] NYimes.com: "non(-)plused"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The sometimes reliable Wikipedia has an article on auto-antonyms, the
most dangerous words in the English language:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-antonym

[Begin excerpt]
An auto-antonym (sometimes spelled autantonym), or contronym (also
spelled contranym), is a word with a homograph (another word of the
same spelling) which is also an antonym (a word with the opposite
meaning). An auto-antonym is alternatively called an antagonym, Janus
word (after the Roman god), enantiodrome, self-antonym, antilogy, or
addad (Arabic, singular didd).
[End excerpt]

Here is the pertinent example for this discussion thread:

[Begin excerpt]
"Nonplussed" can mean "baffled" or "perplexed", but in North America
can also mean "not disconcerted" or "unperturbed".
[End excerpt]

This Wikipedia article must have some value because I see now that
reference number 5 points to my website!?!

Garson


On Thu, Nov 5, 2015 at 10:07 PM, 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: NYimes.com: "non(-)plused"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>> On Nov 5, 2015, at 3:51 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM> =
> wrote:
>>=20
>> The changing definition has been discussed at least twice on the list. =
> BB
>
> Yes, and on at least one of those occasions I came out of the closet and =
> admitted I'd always assigned it the meaning below.  Now I know better, =
> and just avoid using the word completely.  But I do interpret it in the =
> "official" sense when I can--unless it's clearly not being used that =
> way.
>
> I wonder if "informal" is really right, though. 'Unperturbed' is an =
> innovative meaning, but I'm not sure it differs in register from the =
> older meaning.   Wilson would probably just annotate it as "incorrect", =
> but I'm not sure I'd want to go that route either.
>
> LH
>>=20
>>> Il giorno 5 nov 2015, alle ore 10:47, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> =
> ha scritto:
>>>=20
>>>=20
>>>=20
>>> Though I'd never seen this spelling until a few minutes ago, =
> "non-plused"
>>> is easily Googlable to at least 1657 and "nonplused" to at least =
> 1661.
>>>=20
>>> But what's really disturbing is the definition:
>>>=20
>>> "2. NORTH AMERICAN informal
>>>    (of a person) not disconcerted; unperturbed."
>>>=20
>>> =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttps-3A__encrypted.google.co=
> m_-23q-3Dnonplused&d=3DAwIFAg&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2=
> bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3Dtq0Ejn-THxwCPIpAeps2bpKL_5ymJTQoEFyyib9=
> _3FM&s=3D799AbhiFnsCDNf_tea0UwGqZGFXaxMyScR5AOIlYeo8&e=3D=20
>>=20
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIFAg&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3Dtq0Ejn-THxwCPIpAeps2bpKL_5ymJTQoEFyyib9_3FM&s=3DrU_HPE=
> D4qwk8REKZJyIm-u7c1TH6lamfh1fIfOMCQxg&e=3D=20
>
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