I had the television on a little while ago, and while surfing for something that seemed suitable to have on as background while I worked, I came across the Osbourne family show. The brother and sister were having a fight. Later, in telling their parents about it, the boy said, "She came down here and confrontated me". When he addressed his sister, he said, "When you confrontate me..."
Is this becoming common?
I meant to post this link a few days ago, when this article was in our paper. It's about words being added to and dropped from dictionaries. Well, one, anyway.
http://www.courier-journal.com/features/columns/popculture/2003/20030708pop.html
Is this becoming common?
I suspect not, but it's doubtless legitimitated from usage such as disorientated... <eg>
maverick uh, c'mere a minute...I have something for you.
"The Osbournes" is in English? Mercy!
Amazing.
More Saxon than English I'm afraid.
I was quite put out to learn that orientate (and therefore probably disorientate) are correct and separate from orient (and disorient?)
Ha, my spellcheck offers disown for disorientate - which I'd like to.
disown for disorientate - which I'd like to
oh, but methinks our Jackie would be loth to see that go, forsooth!
Keep it up and I'll forsooth you, sir! [trying to hide twitching lips e]
What's wrong with disorientated? Perfectly normal word I would have thought, no?
What's wrong with disorientated?
oog. just one of those words that sounds like it has extra, unnecessary syllables...
or did I just get hit with a faceful of irony, and missed it? [blergh]
Perfectly normal word I would have thought, no? AUGH! No, no, no! People get oriented or disoriented--that extra "ate" syllable does not belong! [gnashing of teeth e] That's even worse than preventative.
That's even worse than *preventative.
Is that because you're 'used to' *it?
One times ate and poor Jackie's ready to leave the table!
Say what you will about orientate; it has always been a verb. Orient is a verbed noun.
it has always been a verb
Exactly. I just always thought it was a modern abomination. (still sounds annoying though)
a modern abomination
An early modern abomination is more like it. If memory serves it dates back to about 1645. Orient as a verb dates to about ten years earlier. Again, if memory serves.
re: If memory serves it dates back to about 1645. Orient as a verb dates to about ten years earlier. Again, if memory serves.
Gee you are an old coot faldage! but you wear your age well, i woodna guess'd you to be much more than 55 or 60.. but if you remember 1600's, well, hell, i am impressed!
what's the your secret to longevity? i hope you share it at lest with your lovely wife!
longevity? i hope you share it at lest with your lovely wife!Geez Loiuse, ain't dat gettin a bit poisonal?
dates back to about 1645.
so, somebody couldn't talk back then, either?
Memory didn't serve. That was some other word that has two versions, one thoroughly dissed by the prescrips.
other word that has two versions
Orient/Orientate and/or, Preventive/Preventative, reminds me of two other such words whose usage has at times, confused and annoyed.
1. Legitimate (as verb) versus Legitimise
2. Disputation versus Dispute (as noun)
Edit:
3. Regnant versus Reigning (as adj.)
Can these words be loosely swapped, one for the other or are they situation specific?
I now think that memory had been mispointed from alterate, the evil twin of alter.
It wasn't alterate, either. Alter's evil twin dates to 1475 (alter is from a hundred years earlier, 1374)