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AWADmail Issue 184October 29, 2005A Weekly Compendium of Feedback on the Words in A.Word.A.Day and Other Interesting Tidbits about Words and Languages
From: Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) Thanks to all of you for your heartwarming messages on the announcement of my new book. I'm truly grateful for your affection and kindness. See you in this week's events:
Nov 1, 2005
Nov 7, 2005 And finally, a news story about banned letters, just in time for the featured word lipogram. They say reality is stranger than fiction and here is a real lipogrammatic tale. In Turkey people are fined for using the letters Q and W: cnn.com
From: David G. Imber (imberATmaniform.com) Lovely, thank you! The book will be a gift to many (I mean that in both the personal and the global senses).
From: Tom Stewart (stewartAToregonisonline.com) Congratulations on your new book. I only put my feet on books when it will allow me to see over the heads of those who STAND on them!
From: Robert G. Thompson
Ah. You don't want us to step on books, but to stand upon their wisdom.
From: Hassall (toosnookATtelusplanet.net)
I was raised to treat all books, whether hardcover or paperback with
'respect', the concept never needed defining. Failure to do so led to the
ultimate punishment; one entire week with no reading material, not even the
back of a cereal box.
From: Julie Bestry (organizeATjuliebestry.com)
I read your comment about treating books with respect with great interest.
There is a similar Jewish custom of revering knowledge (and therefore books)
such that if one drops a holy book like the Siddur or a Humash, one
immediately retrieves it and kisses it.
From: Cecile Moore (cecile138ATcharter.net)
I was very moved by your description of putting a book against your forehead
to show proper respect. When I was in high school, I got off the bus one day
in a light rain. I was hunched over my armload of school books to keep them
dry. One of my classmates had one of her books on top of her head to keep
her hair dry. I was appalled. I did observe that for the rest of our school
career, it always seemed that what was on her head was more important to her
than what was in it.
From: Joseph (josephcolin2001ATyahoo.com)
Just wanted to share with you that I had a similar experience to your own
regarding the value of books, only I was on the other side of the story.
In graduate school, I made some Russian friends who visited me at my
apartment. I was using books as cup holders and leaving coffee stains on
them. I was using them to prop up tables and lamps. I would toss them
lackadaisically on the couch or carry them with me into the kitchen.
They were horrified. They told me stories of waiting in line all night
in the St. Petersburg winter to get a copy of Shakespeare's work or of
Dostoevsky's. Volumes were to be stowed neatly away in glass fronted
cabinets when they weren't in use. They would be handed down to brothers
and nieces and grandchildren. And you certainly didn't write in them.
While I did appreciate their care and concern, I think I like my well-worn
books. I consider them lived in. In any case, they are all more valuable
to me after your service in elevating my level of diction.
From: Ella Wilcox (ellawATmenc.org)
Congrats on your new book, Anu, which I'll get my husband to get me for a
holiday gift.
Here's another approach to the "sacred book" concept. The student who put
his feet on his backpack knew that books are printed by the thousands here.
We Americans are spoiled in that we are lucky enough to have many. As a
child, I used to dislike the librarians who wanted books safely on the
shelves instead of in the "dangerous" hands of readers. I'd rather see a book
read, even a little bit abused or dirtied, because the important thing isn't
the goddess who resides within, but rather the ideas that come out and that
make a book a conveyer of learning and wisdom. The goddess does no good
unless we commune with her.
Although I won't deliberately hurt a book, I like to see them used, not
treated as sacred objects to the point of not being put to work at the task
for which they were created. It reminds me of people who are hesitant to eat
with their "good silver" because they want to preserve it; often, they end
up never using it at all, and it tarnishes in the drawer.
In the end, all things are ultimately dust except ideas, so use your books,
but gently! And read everywhere!
From: Judy Williams (wkjATmeer.net)
I know what you mean. Late in my life I enrolled in a graduate program to
be a librarian - a life long dream about to find fullfillment. In one of
the first classes the professor tore up a book in front of us and encouraged
us to do the same. He wanted us to lose our reverence for books. Needless
to say, I couldn't do that and I dropped out of the program. In this case
my dream was better than the reality!
From: Fionn Rogan (fionn.roganATintel.com)
I am new to this word accismus. However, its accuracy in describing an
old rural tradition in the West of Ireland where I grew up is remarkable.
Irish accismus flourished at a time when the society valued appearance
and reputation yet was overwhelming poor. It's a manner still maintained
amongst an older generation and occurs when hospitality is offered. A
host would typically offer food, drink, or plain help only to be refused
wholeheartedly by the guest. A vigorous feigning and tussle of gestures
would ensue until the guest finally resigned with "if you insist".
The magnitude of the acting was to avoid the taboo of "putting someone out"
by taking advantage of their generosity. Appearing humble and frugal as
a guest was a virtue. Today the practice continues in pockets and sometimes
backfires when an elderly host cannot interpret a genuine refusal from a
guest and so any food stuff or drink is firmly thrust upon the guest and
no more "of this nonsense will be entertained". One is left with far more
food/drink than one could safely manage to finish.
Another modern side effect is when "if you insist" is used prematurely
even before any offer of generosity is made and so the guest pretty much
helps themselves to whatever is going.
From: Victor Lund (vlundATmahoney-law.com)
There is a good example of accismus in Trollope's Barchester series of
novels. All of the ecclesiastical bigwigs are dying to be elevated to the
status of bishop, but the ceremony for investiture as bishop requires the
candidate to announce, "Nolo episcopari," i.e., "I do not wish to be a
bishop."
From: Christopher Murray (murrayandcoAToddpost.com)
Accismus is a more succinct way of putting "To refuse praise is to ask for
it twice."
From: Patrick Hort (patrick.hortATproductivesoftware.co.uk)
Really - and I'm sure I'm not the first to point this out - such misuse of
the word disinterest really doesn't do much for AWAD's credibility!
I look forward to the global apology :)
This is a perfect example of the confusing evolution of language: in
the beginning, the word "disinterested" had a clear sense of being "not
interested" and "uninterested" meant "impartial"! Over time the two words
exchanged their meanings though even now there is no clear boundary
between the two words and they are used in both senses. The context
makes clear what sense is implied.
In the end, language is not a hard science. You could very well be right
with the word "uninterested" too. Also see the next message from our
grammar guru.
-Anu Garg
(garg AT wordsmith.org)
From: Carolanne Reynolds (ggATwordsmith.org)
The mail about uninterested and disinterested has sparked lively debates.
There are extremely subtle differences so that from some points of view,
either word could have been used in Anu's example, depending on the attitude
of the speaker. It's akin to the view that hate is the opposite of love,
whereas one could say indifference is (and argue it's lack of). When the
person speaks, is uninterest (a non-word? in any case signifying opposite
of interest, lack of interest) being expressed or is the speaker feigning
irrelevance (disinterest)? Maybe it's immaterial.
Back to accismus -- is the case that the person is really interested
but displaying the opposite, or is the speaker being dismissive?
On the other hand, a disinterested person (ie having no interest, usually
financial, in the matter) is desired to arbitrate a dispute between two
parties (with interests, though different or opposed) and listening to the
debate might be interesting or uninteresting, depending on what interests
you. We can find a lecture uninteresting but not disinteresting (another
non-word?).
Usage deepens the rut of differentiating. When two words are similar, usage
tends to steer them in different directions. This is an element of the
richness and variety of the English language with a wider spectrum than most
languages. And not just from the Norman French stamp on Anglo-Saxon (labour,
work; flower, bloom, blossom). A legal system imposes itself also. In Canada
(interested to hear if elsewhere), 'inquiry' refers to legal or government
matters, whereas 'enquiry' is not official, more a question; For instance,
a sign in a library can have 'Enquiries', some counters may have 'Enquire
here'. Our courts render 'judgments', but assessing a person we might allude
to his 'judgement'.
Isn't language fascinating!
From: Susan LoVerso (sueATloverso.southborough.ma.us)
My niece, a recent transplant from the NorthEast US to the Deep South US
noted this phenomena immediately. We didn't know it had a name. In the south,
if you find your soul being blessed you know to watch out. Something like:
"Bless your soul, Billy, but that is the dumbest idea I've ever heard."
From: Phillip Harris (phil.harris10ATbigpond.com)
How unfortunate that you had to let the world into the secret of "with all
due respect". In my country (Australia) that phrase has been a marvellous
yardstick for media interviewers. When an interviewed politician uses the
phrase it is a certainty that some lie, obfuscation, or buck-passing has
been revealed by the interviewer.
From: Rapoport (rapoportATnetvision.net.il)
In Hebrew, we use the word Parrhesia to describe a blatant action in
public. e.g. "he desecrated the Sabbath in parrhesia."
From: James McTernan (osokunattesumimasenATyahoo.com)
With all due respect, nested quotes can cause confusion:
Wordsmith (wsmithATwordsmith.org) wrote:
Now I've quoted AWAD quoting Garcia, quoting West, quoting Plato, quoting
Socrates.
From: Dr. Liana Lupas (llupasATamericanbible.org)
To the best of my knowledge parrhesia derives from pan + rhesia, not from
para + rhesia and implies the freedom of saying everything you wish to say,
not the fact of saying something outside the norm. It was a fundamental
concept of democracy in Athens and the privilege of free citizens.
From: Petronella J.C. Elema (pjc.elemaATplanet.nl)
The Dutch language has "etmaal" for the full period of 24 hours, and we use
it fairly frequently. In English, I had to make do with "a day" which isn't
quite the same.
From: Lars-Erik Sørbotten (larsATbabel.no)
Finally the word I've been looking for!
Norwegian has a commonly used word for a 24-hour period, "døgn", as do the
other Scandinavian languages. I've often wondered why there wasn't a word
for this in English, too, and English speakers have had to resort to phrases
like, well, "24-hour period". Since I'm a translator, I've on several
occasions had trouble with this concept and have had to rephrase sentences
to work around this problem.
From: Tim Green (timothy.j.greenATgmail.com)
On 10/27/05, Wordsmith (wsmithATwordsmith.org) wrote:
Almost!
According to Google Math:
From: Eric Shackle (eshackleATozemail.com.au)
When tourists flock to the remote New Zealand town of Kawakawa, they head
for the public toilet, not so much to use its facilities as to gaze in awe
at the building's unique architecture and bizarre artwork. It's a lasting
memorial to a gifted but eccentric Austrian designer and artist, Frederick
Hundertwasser, who after visiting New Zealand in 1970 to exhibit his work,
decided to settle in that country. He (unlike some of the visitors)
certainly didn't suffer from accismus (feigning disinterest in something
while actually desiring it). For details, see the November issue
of my ebook.
Words are a commodity in which there is never any slump. -Christopher Morley,
writer (1890-1957)
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