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#78991 08/26/02 02:11 PM
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boronia Offline OP
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From Act 1 of Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers:
Barney: As a matter of fact, it's my mother's apartment.
Elaine: You're not actively serious?

I've never heard 'actively' in this context. My instinct would be to say 'actually'. So, is this 60s-lingo, an
Americanism, a typo, or what? Any thoughts out there?


#78992 08/26/02 02:24 PM
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Americanism, a typo, or what? Any thoughts out there?

Interesting usage. Not any Americanism this USn has ever heard. Seems a little odd for a typo. Simon giving a character a distinctive idiolect? I've known people whose use of the language was considerably different from the norm. Does this character have other odd speech habits?


#78993 08/26/02 02:57 PM
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There used to be spellcheckers that would correct typo, and substitute wrong word.
For instance, a couple years ago I saw in Smithsonian magazine "forward" where
"foreword" was clearly meant. I wrote, and got reply that spellchecker had done it.


#78994 08/26/02 03:10 PM
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spellcheckers that would correct typo, and substitute wrong word.

I had to spell it actielly for the Word2000 Spellchecker to correct it to actively.


#78995 08/27/02 11:42 AM
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Talking of spellcheckers reminded me of the editorial in yesterday's The Australian newspaper [as reported in the Media Watch TV program] in which the writer had meant to use the term "self-deprecating humour" but had somehow written "self-defecating". There must be an appropriate response to this but it's a bit too late at night to think of one.


#78996 08/27/02 11:51 AM
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"Self-defecating" humour: I was so funny I sh*t myself?


#78997 08/27/02 01:11 PM
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boronia Offline OP
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Simon giving a character a distinctive idiolect?

A good theory, Faldage, but other than this weird little 'actively', Elaine's speech is pretty ordinary. Oh well...


#78998 08/27/02 01:17 PM
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Oh well...

One of the minor mysteries of life. Was this from some transcript or an authorized holograph or what?


#78999 08/27/02 01:22 PM
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I'm playing Elaine, and it's in the script (Samuel French version). I might check another edition, just in case it was a poorly corrected typo. And if not, I'll just learn the line the way it is!


#79000 08/27/02 02:07 PM
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to me, "actively" serious has a slightly different meaning than (the overworked) "actually" - it seems to be saying that you are not only serious, but *doing something about it.

google gets a few hits, one of which is from your script.



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