[Lexicog] Re: Frequency counts as lexicographic measure

[Kenneth C. Hill]

The OED gives two meanings for orient/orientate: 1. make s.th., apparently
mainly architecture, face east or have a defined arrangement with respect
to the cardinal directions, 2. (fig.) adjust, etc. (without reference to
directions). Orient in the first sense is supported by a quote from a work
dated 1727-41. The date for the second sense is 1849. Orientate in the
first sense is from 1850 and in the second sense from 1866.

The definitions above are my own rewordings of what's in the OED. The
definitions there are much more precise and rather long. My copy of the
OED is one that you have to use a magnifying glass to read, and the glass
I have at hand isn't particularly good.

--Ken

--- Mike Maxwell <maxwell at ldc.upenn.edu> wrote:

> John Roberts wrote:
> > The first time I heard this I thought, "Why do Americans always mess
> > up the English language?" That was many years ago. Now I know we all
> > "mess it up".
>
> In the words of the immortal Henry Higgins, "There are even places where
> English completely disappears.  In America, they haven't used it for
> years."
>
> (I would consult the OED to see which verb was older, "orient" or
> "orientate", but the OED is not accessible on-line without a
> subscription, and believe it or not, I have too much to do to walk over
> to the library.)
> --
> 	Mike Maxwell



		
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