[Ads-l] Retronym: to eye-read

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Fri Nov 6 15:42:43 UTC 2015


My friends have been referring to recorded books as "books I'm reading" for
several years.

However, they used to add at some point, "I'm listening to it on tape"
(even if it's a CD).

Lately they've stopped bothering with the qualification.

Did I mention that I was told some months ago that "you don't say 'computer
games' anymore. They're just 'games.'"

Also, "A smart phone is a 'phone.'"

And an old-time flip-top cel phone [spelling n. b.] is a "flip phone."
 Ex.: "You still use a flip phone?"


JL

On Fri, Nov 6, 2015 at 8:25 AM, Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Retronym: to eye-read
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Evidently most style manuals now encourage (or require) the addition of
> the=
>  term "print" to a listing in a bibliography if, you know, the item is
> prin=
> ted.
>
> --Charlie
>
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> Charle=
> s C Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Friday, November 6, 2015 7:55 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Retronym: to eye-read
> ---
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Retronym: to eye-read
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> =3D
> ----
>
> > On Nov 5, 2015, at 4:25 PM, Chris Waigl <chris at LASCRIBE.NET> wrote:
> >=3D3D20
> > I hang out on a forum sometimes where people mention what books they
> =3D3=
> D
> are reading. One member just posted (spelling etc. not corrected by me):
> >=3D3D20
> >> I eye-read =3D3D93After You=3D3D94 by Jojo Moyes - and oh what a =3D3D
> disappointment after loving =3D3D93Me After You.=3D3D94 So glad I got the
> b=
> ook =3D
> =3D3D
> from the library and didn=3D3D92t waste an audible credit on it.
> >=3D3D20
> >=3D3D20
> > The reference to Audible should make it clear that eye-reading is =3D3D
> meant in contrast to listening to an audiobook.
>
> Yes, I think it must.  Very nice.
>
> > As this is a group of knitters primarily (rather than, say, a book =3D3D
> club), audiobooks are probably more common in the mentions of recent =3D3D
> books read, given that most combine knitting with the enjoyment of =3D3D
> spoken-word entertainment.=3D3D20
> >=3D3D20
> > And this is while there=3D3D92s still controversy in other quarters =3D3D
> whether listening to an audiobook qualifies as reading=3D3D85
> >=3D3D20
> > Chris
>
> But they always tell me at the end of the Playaway or last CD "Thank you =
> =3D
> =3D3D
> for being an Audiobooks reader" so it must qualify as reading.  ;-)
>
> LH=3D=
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
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