fiercely

[mimi2]

Hi,
She was fiercely proud of family traditions and continuity.

There are two points I doubt in the sentence:

• fiercely: is it a correct word to use in the context?
• “continuity”: I guess it means that the traditions passed on from generation to generation.

Could you tell me if “continuity” is a correct word?
Thanks.

 

[Lexiphile]

Yes and yes.

 

[Dimcl]

Lexi is correct based on your guess at the meaning of "continuity", Mimi. If you hadn't ventured your opinion as to what "continuity" means in this context, the sentence would have sounded odd to me. The phrase "and continuity" doesn't immediately refer me to the traditions. I would rephrase the sentence this way:

She was fiercely proud of family traditions and their continuity.

Without "their" in the sentence, the question that comes to mind is "Continuity of what"?

 

[Lexiphile]

Hmmm... I had no problem with continuity, not just of traditions, but also of family ties, marriages... the whole family thing.
If we assume, for a moment, that this sentence wasn't simply created out of thin air but is part of a text about a woman and her family, then it is hardly necessary to be explicit about "continuity of what."

We could, of course, have been pdeantic about the whole thing and demanded context, context, context from Mimi, but I don't think we need context. I can't imagine any context in which "continuity" could mean anything else.

Perhaps I'm just easily lead...

 

[Dimcl]

Hmmm... I had no problem with continuity, not just of traditions, but also of family ties, marriages... the whole family thing.
If we assume, for a moment, that this sentence wasn't simply created out of thin air but is part of a text about a woman and her family, then it is hardly necessary to be explicit about "continuity of what."

We could, of course, have been pdeantic about the whole thing and demanded context, context, context from Mimi, but I don't think we need context. I can't imagine any context in which "continuity" could mean anything else.

Perhaps I'm just easily lead...

My initial reaction to my first reading of the sentence was "What continuity?". Then, after finishing reading Mimi's post, the subliminal meaning was there for "continuity". As a standalone sentence, I don't know whether she's proud of family tradition and family continuity or family tradition and the continuity of the traditions. I just think it's unclear.