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

[Laurence Horn]

> On Nov 6, 2015, at 7:32 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> The sometimes reliable Wikipedia has an article on auto-antonyms, the
> most dangerous words in the English language:
> 
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__en.wikipedia.org_wiki_Auto-2Dantonym&d=AwIBaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=wFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsSxPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=Ib8qbtpshGxjzyEFkuJchpzvC_uqyQVDvQi61yzj73g&s=rmBu5IUqmJcTa0oR5sBTcWEw1e9yMjuzHxPdm52Ge24&e= 
> 
> [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]
> 

I was wondering what happened to my choice (well, actually mine and Lynne Murphy's), "enantionym", which was (briefly) mentioned last time I checked the wikipedia entry.  I see that entry is still accessible as "talk" ("This is not a forum <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#FORUM> for general discussion of the article's subject") via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AAuto-antonym, with this insightful commentary on several proposed labels (syntax as in original):

=============================
A quick Google search revealed that the terms apparently were coined by Laurence Horn, writing in LINGUIST List. According to LINGUIST List 14.553, Mon Feb 24 2003, Sum: Contrasting senses for 'leave' (edited by Steve Moran), "He [Horn] now prefer to call this phenomenon as 'enantionymy' which he earlier termed as 'antilogy.'"

Let's stick with contronym or perhaps autantonym!
=============================

LH



> 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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> 
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