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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1 |
Hey guys...
First of all I would just like to say hello to you all. I am currently an A-level student (from England) and I will no doubt be posting here often asking for word help.
So here is my first world:
How would you use the world 'per se'? What does it mean?
I have read the dictionary definition and I can't quite get to grips with it.
Thank you for your time...
Jason
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
I used to read dictionaries a lot, but my poor memory has convinced me the effort is futile. I tend to mirror the usage I percieve around me.
For this word, here are examples of how I might use it:
"Neither programmer nor their creations are, per se, logical."
"Pluto should not be considered a planet, per se, lest we should consider every bit of dust wandering about in our vicinity similarly."
"Life does not require exact reproduction, per se."
k
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
Hi Jason, Welcome aboard. I'm sure you'l like it. You might want to pop on over to information and announcement and look in the thread titled "Tips for newcomers." You'll find a lot of useful information there. I'm not sure what an A-level student means, we don't use those categories here in Québec, Canada, but your writing seems quite good so I'm assuming it means you are in the top level of a grade. So let me turn your question around...how would you use the expression? Or what do you interpret it to mean? You may just be absolutely correct. (Though I am learning, from being here on the Board, that there are not so many "absolutes" as "subject to interpretation"  )
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
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In law, we use the phrase "per se" to mean "in and of itself" or "intrinsically".
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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And it's involved in the etymology of the word ampersand, which is a slightly assimilated form of the phrase "and, per se and", meaning that the character '&' is the word and in and of itself.
Reading dictionaries is an end unto itself, FF. The effort is immune to futility.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
I would use it as a fancy way to say "exactly what you would call", but put it behind the described phrase instead of in front. As in "Zed is not a linguistic expert, per se, but she does talk a lot."
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member
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member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 133 |
Fancier but more concise.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Or you could say:
"Zed is not a linguistic expert, as such, but she has exceptional experience in using words."
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Or you could say:
"Zed is not a linguistic expert, as such, but her use of words is captivating."
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Posts: 96
journeyman
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journeyman
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 96 |
Do you find yourself looking up the same word over and over and over? It has been suggested to me: place a small dot in front of the word each time you reference it. Amazing how many rather large groups of dots accumulate over the years!
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891 |
I know exactly what you mean. I have trouble with a few words that have the same meaning in English and French but are spelled differently. Like envelope/enveloppe. I always have to look that one up. You'd think it would have sunk in by now.
I used to have trouble with address and adresse until I found a memory jogger for the English version. I think of an "Ad" for a "Dress." It's plain, but it works.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526 |
Looking words up over and over and over.
Yes, I do it all the time. Mostly I use online dictionaries (m-w and onelook). The problem is I just can't remember things unless I use them a lot. I think condition is why I eventually took to math and programming - very little memorization, complicated things can be derived from much simpler things.
I play word games - scrabble, boggle, etc. I don't know how many times I've looked up 'cwm' and 'dite' and 'qat' - dozens for each. But I just can't seem to remember most of them. There's a large number of other words like that.
OTOH, while my functional vocabulary is probably a lot smaller than most of the people on this forum, it's still pretty large - and I actually use a lot of words - particularly when I write. But even with words I know and have known - or thought I knew - I've discovered that I was off in spelling or definition. Aside from typos and 'thinkos', for example, I spelt rapport as "repoire" once ... and a few other things. Just last week I gave my daughter in HS the wrong definition of a word when she tested me. (They like helping me study in this way.)
k
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