[Ads-l] Words Gone Wild

[George Thompson]

I'll accept that.

GAT

On Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 2:37 PM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:

> Actually, "defraud" there is being used correctly (in a linguistic sense,
> although you may not agree with the substance).  The petition argues that
> ExxonMobil engaged in fraud, not just deception:  that ExxonMobil had a
> duty to deal fairly with consumers but intentionally deceived them,
> resulting in harm to them.  "Knowingly," however, is redundant, since all
> frauds are knowing.  So this is different from ancestor/descendant,
> beneficiary/benefactor, and the like.
>
> John Baker
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of George Thompson
> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 12:34 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Words Gone Wild
>
> The conspiracy on the part of "descendant" to usurp the place held by
> right by "ancestor" has had at least early success.
>
> Now "defraud" is attempting a coup against "deceive".
>
> *Petition to President Obama and the Department of Justice:* *“Prosecute
> ExxonMobil for its 20 year campaign to knowingly defraud the American
> public about the danger posed by fossil fuels and climate change.”
> *
> And "benefactor" is putting "beneficiary" on the defensive.
> You have been selected as recipient/benefactor for $5Million Dollars
>
> Where will it all end?  What will be the next hard-working word to find
> the lock changed on the door?
> GAT (dismayed)
>
> --
> George A. Thompson
> The Guy Who Still Looks Stuff Up in Books.
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ. Pr., 1998..
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



-- 
George A. Thompson
The Guy Who Still Looks Stuff Up in Books.
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998..

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org