Usage Bitch Corner

[_phoebe]

I resent that I am being repeatedly tormented by a commercial during the Golden Globes in which the misuse of "begs the question" is further perpetuated. And then Andy, who apparently received an English degree from people with no regard for "English," dared to suggest my objection was "trivial

Comments

[lexanderblues]

Well, the Blanco sides with the Flowers on this one.

The bastardization of certain linguistic (or logical) principles for the sake of dumbing down the language (the "trivial" lapse of reason occured in an advertisement, correct?) reigns in further explorations of these principles veering them into a conceptual dead principles office when they should be, ahem, intellectually fondled, fiddled, and played with - something we all like to do in our spare time, or when not fondling and fiddling ourselves.

It's also a fallacy to assume linguistic or any kind of evolution of this kind is the higher road to enlightenment or a bettering of the language. Evolution is reaction to environment, culture, collective intelligence, etc., bringing about changes in our being for the purposes of making us a fitter reactionary tool, whittled down of all pretense and fit only for survival, stripped of the luxuries we all adore and attempt to make careers out of. Where goes the flourish when a simple comprehension is shunned for the kindler, gentler fallacy?

But I digress....

-Lexx for President 2008