[Ads-l] Crash-blossom OTY

[Jonathan Lighter]

> the weird plural in the modifier within the compound--which seems to have
become a
standard option anymore

Absolutely. As I observed here some years back, it is the preferred pattern
on CNN.

When I brought it to the attention of my students ca2003, they thought it
sounded crazy.


JL

On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 11:42 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Crash-blossom OTY
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Yes, the "on" makes the unintended reading less likely, but the weird =
> plural in the modifier within the compound--which seems to have become a =
> standard option anymore--makes it more likely.  For me, it can only be =
> "Paris attack victims", even given the multiplicity of attack =
> sites--i.e. the victims of attacks are attack victims, not attacks =
> victims.
>
> LH
>
> > On Nov 17, 2015, at 8:52 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> =
> wrote:
> >=20
> > Not perfect, but close enough for government work.
> >=20
> > On the TV screen, with all caps,  the "on" was easily misread (or, =
> better,
> > "automatically absorbed )" as "of."
> >=20
> > JL
> >=20
> > On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 8:46 AM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:
> >=20
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> -----------------------
> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >> Poster:       Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
> >> Subject:      Re: Crash-blossom OTY
> >>=20
> >> =
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
> >>=20
> >> Well, at least they got the preposition better than "for" or =
> "of".=3DC2=3DA0
> >> Th=3D
> >> at is, I don't think there is a "deputy mayor on Paris", so that I =
> find
> >> the=3D
> >> headline a bit difficult to read as "the deputy mayor on Paris =
> attacks
> >> the=3D
> >> victims."
> >> Deputy mayor "for" or "of" Paris seems to crash more loudly.=3DC2=3DA0 =
> And
> >> "Dep=3D
> >> uty mayor for Paris attacks victims" crashes with a different =
> ambiguity --
> >> =3D
> >> is the deputy major for (does he support) the Paris attack victims?
> >>=20
> >> Joel
> >>=20
> >>      From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU=3D20
> >> Sent: Tuesday, November 17, 2015 7:40 AM
> >> Subject: [ADS-L] Crash-blossom OTY
> >>  =3D20
> >> CNN caption:
> >>=20
> >> "DEPUTY MAYOR ON PARIS ATTACKS VICTIMS."
> >>=20
> >> JL
> >>=20
> >> --=3D20
> >> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the =
> truth."
> >>=20
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - =
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> uRDY_dm7RW32eF8YO3ukh5GaLzQuNHhgJZ-sA&e=3D=20
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >>=20
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
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> >>=20
> >>=20
> >=20
> >=20
> > --=20
> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the =
> truth."
> >=20
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - =
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=3Dhttp-3A__www.americandialect.=
> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
> xPIWYiZRsMFFaLQ&m=3Dyg_WIg8lYv5pVP-D83fp0cYyzxkcnWyiIRXxLmX9PRs&s=3DqK-Btg=
> uRDY_dm7RW32eF8YO3ukh5GaLzQuNHhgJZ-sA&e=3D=20
>
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-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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