[Ads-l] Crash-blossom OTY

[Laurence Horn]

> On Nov 17, 2015, at 12:20 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
>> 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.

Well, marking N1 for number in an N1N2 compound does have the virtue of disambiguation.  But then again so does "a my father's sister" as opposed to "the my father's sister", and that doesn't make those sound any better.

LH
> 
> On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 11:42 AM, 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: 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 - =
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>> org&d=3DAwIBaQ&c=3D-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=3DwFp3X4Mu39hB2bf13gtz0ZpW1TsS=
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>> uRDY_dm7RW32eF8YO3ukh5GaLzQuNHhgJZ-sA&e=3D=20
>>>> =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 - =
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>> 
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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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