[Ads-l] Neither, nor, both
Joel Berson
berson at ATT.NET
Mon Mar 27 13:53:20 UTC 2017
I suppose Venn diagrams prove that Larry is correct. But isn't it quite easily understood? And would be "correct" if it were:
"Contrary to what Gerry Adams said, he was neither only a terrorist nor only a freedom fighter - he was both"?
Joel
From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2017 8:10 PM
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Neither, nor, both
> On Mar 26, 2017, at 6:01 PM, Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU> wrote:
>
> Sighted in an online conversation, apparently from a northern Englander:
>
> "Contrary to what Gerry Adams said, he was neither a terrorist nor a freedom fighter - he was both."
>
> (The reference is to the late Martin McGuinness.)
>
As someone who has claimed in print (in a 1985 paper and a subsequent book) that it’s possible to say “Maggie isn’t EITHER patriotic OR quixotic—she’s both” but that it’s *not* possible to say “Maggie is neither patriotic nor quixotic—she’s both”, a claim that would, I fear, extend from feisty iron ladies to members of the IRA/Sinn Fein. All I can say is ouch. And, I guess, thanks for the datum.
LH
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