[Ads-l] Quantifier/state-of-affairs ambituity (Was Re: sexist "crazy")

[Neal Whitman]

This is a good example of what I've called "quantifier/state-of-affairs 
ambiguity", which includes famous statements such as "no news is good 
news" and "too many cooks spoil the broth", as well as humorous 
statements such as "No one would do the job better than he does." More 
information here: 
http://www.nealwhitman.com/Presentations/WhitmanLSA2011Poster.ppt

Neal


On 3/20/2016 10:30 AM, Marc Sacks wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Marc Sacks <msacksg at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: sexist "crazy"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> There was an interestingly ambiguous quote in the linked article: "too few
> orgasms lead to hysteria."  I never realized hysteria was the goal of
> orgasms, but you learn something new every day, I guess.
>
> Marc Sacks
>
> On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 8:54 AM, Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: sexist "crazy"
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> I think of two things. First, there is the meaning of "hysterical", a word
>> with a firm gender bias.
>>
>> Second, there is this:
>>
>>
>> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/dont-call-women-crazy_n_6201580.html
>>
>> DanG
>>
>> On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 8:05 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      sexist "crazy"
>>>
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Donald Trump has called Megyn Kelly "crazy."
>>>
>>> Donald Trump has resumed his gratuitous obsessive-compulsive blasting of
>>> Megyn Kelly. And according to CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter:
>>>
>>> "Lately he's been calling her 'crazy,' which some people would think is a
>>> sexist reference. There is a meaning of 'crazy' when applied to women
>> that
>>> is different than when applied to men. We all kind of know that in
>> society.
>>> When he says 'crazy Megyn Kelly,' it certainly has a specific
>> connotation."
>>> Q.: Huh? *I* don't know it, "kind of" or otherwise. Crazy means crazy.
>>> First we were assured that "moist" is one of the most offensive words in
>>> English.  Now this.
>>>
>>> Elucidation, please.
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> --
>>> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
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>>>
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-- 
Dr. Neal Whitman
Lecturer, ESL Composition
School of Teaching and Learning
College of Education and Human Ecology
Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
whitman.11 at osu.edu
(614) 260-1622

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