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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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On another board I frequent, one of the other contributors, a young woman in her early twenties hailing from Virginia, picked me up on my usage.
I had used "thoughtfully" to mean deep in thought, as in "Thoughtfully, he walked back to his room." She insisted that to people her age, thoughtfully could only mean considerately.
She also queried my use of the word "hubbub" for the noise in a crowded pub or bar, as in "She couldn't catch what they were saying over the general hubbub." She insisted that this word could not be used seriously but only for comedic effect.
I was wondering whether the board, particularly our younger members, agreed with her. Are we seeing the language changing before our very eyes, or is it a regional difference? Or is her particular idiolect out of step with the rest of the English-speaking world in these instances?
Bingley
Bingley
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member
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On the first point, regarding the connotation of thoughtfully, I would have to side with the young lady. I don't recall ever hearing or seeing it used in the contemplative sense. I am not of her generation, but perhaps of her region (my upbringing was in California).
Regarding hubub--I've always thought of this as slightly slangy, but a legitimate English expression.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Coming from the experienced and mature group on this side of the Atlantic, I would go along with WW.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jun 2002
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And coming from somewhere else entirely, so would I. Thoughtfully can either mean considerately or deep in thought. It sounds like Bingley's young lady is just a little lacking in education. Now there's a surprise!
Hubbub is just a one-word shorthand for "lots of general noise". It may sound slangy if you haven't previously encountered it, but it's right up there with antidisestablishmentarianism for legitimacy!
- Pfranz
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
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As a young man, myself,  I would also agree, but with the rider that thoughtfully is very rarely used over here to mean anything other than "with consideration". (And, adds he, peevishly, it is neither used nor practised with that meaning all that much, these days.)
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Ektewally, seems I quite often hear: "You're looking thoughtful."(finishing with implied question mark)
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old hand
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old hand
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Well, Bingley, I'm 26, and I understand "thoughtfully" to mean either "considerate" or "deep in thought", depending on context. But then again, I read too much.
As for "hubbub", it's another great word. I don't consider it comedic. But then again - I've already told you - I read too much. I might get strange looks if I used hubbub in normal conversation with my peers. (Mind you, there are plenty of words I do use which elicit strange looks from people.) Too bad for them!
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veteran
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veteran
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Thoughtfully is the adverb form of thoughtful,
All I really want to say is "ditto," but I'm not sure how that would go over in here, so I'll say "bull's eye" instead.
k
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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"And you were correct," said TEd thoughtfully.
TEd
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