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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread its the pits #156902 03/09/2006 6:50 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass A subscriber wrote to me regarding today's Jefferson citation, which I have as: "When an individual uses a new word, if illformed it is rejected in society, if wellformed, adopted, and, after due time, laid up in the depository of dictionaries. And if, in this process of sound neologisation, our transatlantic brethren shall not choose to accompany us, we may furnish, after the Ionians, a second example of a colonial dialect improving on it's primitive." He questioned, of course, the possessive pronoun "it's". The quote is pasted from here; but there are three possible answers to his question: 1) the error was in the transcription of the letter 2) the error was Jefferson's 3) it's not an error; that was the style of the day (or there was no style) Does anyone know when the current rulz were adopted? --- It looks like it *could be a transcription error; googling gives four it's and two its, and Google(Books) gives two it's and four its. So we have either transcription error or overcorrection!? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: its the pits #156903 03/09/2006 9:07 AM Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City inselpeter Pooh-Bah inselpeter Pooh-Bah Joined: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,379 New York City I don't know the answer to your question. I did notice, though, this disclaimer "further reading" link at the bottom of the letter you linked to: Because of copyright reasons we cannot publish all texts that are available on the internet in our own format, which would allow us to provide links to relevant background material for the letters. Which *may suggest your hunch is right. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: its the pits #156904 03/09/2006 1:44 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Hmm--well-educated people do make mistakes, of course. Here's a little background on his: Thomas was five years old when he began his education under the family tutor at Tuckahoe. In 1752 the Jeffersons returned to Shadwell and again started work on a plantation home. Thomas, however, spent little time at Shadwell. Almost immediately he was sent to Northam in St. James Parish, Virginia, where he studied Latin with the Reverend William Douglas until 1757, when his father died. He was then sent to the school of the Reverend James Maury in Fredericksville Parish, Virginia, and spent two years studying Greek and Latin classics, history, literature, geography, and natural science. web page But my bet is on 1 or 3. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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