I'm lovin' it [loving]

[Markus]

I was inspired to this topic by another thread. I have noticed that using state verbs in the progressive (e.g. McDonalds' "I'm lovin it'") is becoming quite trendy these days. For example, if someone were to say to me, "I'm liking your hair!", this would not sound nearly so strange to me today as it would have five years ago. If someone were to utter this phrase it would be very flamboyantly; its use is definitely not accepted in even slightly formal spoken English yet. But the flamboyant are always the early adopters of new language trends!

My question is, do you think that this trend is here to stay or do you think it's a passing fad? If it's here to stay, what are its implications for the English language (i.e. what information will be lost)? Note that I am not interested in the grammarian's point of view, I do not want to be told that the usage is incorrect (by today's rules), I already know that! But the fact is that use defines language, not the other way around.


Markus

 

[kiolbassa]

But the fact is that use defines language, not the other way around.


Markus

except in France where language is required to define use....


I always thought the misuse of the progressive was inspired by the classic foreign speakers' mistake and that that was precisely why McD. adopted it - a nod to German-speakers in particular (German speakers do not realize it is bad English). Could it be that people using it in English-speaking countries are simply nodding back in McD's direction?
If it does spread from trendy to generalised use, then we shall just have to edit all English grammars (the subjunctive has already been deleted or so I gather...)

 

[jacinta]

How do you like your new job?
Oh, I'm loving it so far. But it's making my homelife a little crazy.

Where is John today?
He's going to Mexico so he's home packing.

I'm loving your hair?? This does sound silly and made-up: a trend. If enough people use it this way, it may stick but I hope not. (I'm actually not familiar with the McDonald's ad, I'm lovin' it)

 

[te gato]

Hey Markus;
I think they are all trends or fads unless a big corporation uses them in their ads' and makes them stick..
It is just another way to switch up the English language and get our point across..the meaning of what we wish to say..in the fastest and easiest way posable..
It is almost like slang in a way..ever-changing..ever-developing..to suit the purpose of what is being said..for that time..some stay..and thank God..some do not..

te gato

 

[lsp]

Hey Markus;
I think they are all trends or fads unless a big corporation uses them in their ads' and makes them stick..
It is just another way to switch up the English language and get our point across..the meaning of what we wish to say..in the fastest and easiest way posable..
It is almost like slang in a way..ever-changing..ever-developing..to suit the purpose of what is being said..for that time..some stay..and thank God..some do not..

te gato

I agree completely, te...new expressions and speech patterns come and go like heel height and skirt length. Don't want to be caught dead in LY's fashions, and that often applies to trendy vocab now, too. Some last, like "like" (I am like, so over "like" - not liking "like" ), most don't.

 

[ameridude]

as far as the "I'm lovin' it" trend, it is more a marketing ploy than anything that should be seen as reflective of American culture as a whole.

For those of you who are not American, and perhaps are not familiar with the TV commercials, I'll explain, albeit briefly. They are an attempt by McDonald's to "connect" with a certain segment of the population that isn't particularly well-educated. In fact, those ads remind me how poorly many of my fellow Americans have been educated. I've met many Europeans who speak better English than them.

The bottom line: don't take your cues from a McDonald's ad.

 

[te gato]

as far as the "I'm lovin' it" trend, it is more a marketing ploy than anything that should be seen as reflective of American culture as a whole.

For those of you who are not American, and perhaps are not familiar with the TV commercials, I'll explain, albeit briefly. They are an attempt by McDonald's to "connect" with a certain segment of the population that isn't particularly well-educated. In fact, those ads remind me how poorly many of my fellow Americans have been educated. I've met many Europeans who speak better English than them.

The bottom line: don't take your cues from a McDonald's ad.

Hey ameridude;
Due to the fact that I understood the phrase..and others have as well...are you therefore implying that we are not well educated?..and who is to define the stardards of education in a person?
We were in fact referring to the shortening of the English language to get a perceived idea across..'I'm lovin' it'. is still understood by educated..and non-educated alike as... 'I am loving it'...

te gato

 

[gaer]

as far as the "I'm lovin' it" trend, it is more a marketing ploy than anything that should be seen as reflective of American culture as a whole.

For those of you who are not American, and perhaps are not familiar with the TV commercials, I'll explain, albeit briefly. They are an attempt by McDonald's to "connect" with a certain segment of the population that isn't particularly well-educated. In fact, those ads remind me how poorly many of my fellow Americans have been educated. I've met many Europeans who speak better English than them.

The bottom line: don't take your cues from a McDonald's ad.

I've never seen the McDonald's ad. I've heard "I'm loving it" for years. It don't think it's new. I don't say it myself, but I have no problems with it.

G

 

[kennytimes2]

there's nothing wrong or uneducated about "i'm loving it." it would be weird to say "i love mcdonalds", it sounds too strong. "i'm loving it" seems lighter to me. exactly like you'd say "i'm loving your hair today." you wouldn't say "i'm loving my mom today." the use of the gerund here conveys a lighter, more temporary feeling. to say the ads are an attempt to reach to reach uneducated americans is a huge stretch to make without any justification.
fyi, the same ads are run in spanish with "me encanta."

 

[mjscott]

Neither am I, gaer. In fact, the more I'm hearing it, the more I'm liking it. Are you digging it?

 

[te gato]

Neither am I, gaer. In fact, the more I'm hearing it, the more I'm liking it. Are you digging it?

Hey mjscott;
I'm not gaer..
but it is dug...
does that mean that we are all not well educated..

te gato

 

[gaer]

Neither am I, gaer. In fact, the more I'm hearing it, the more I'm liking it. Are you digging it?

I do wonder why people take it so seriously when people play with language. Some things might not work, some things that we don't like may catch on and become part of the language. To me it seems that English can be mutilated in any way as the COST of being so free.

Do you ever wonder if people said to Shakespeare, "William, you can't say that. It's not proper English."

Gaer

 

[kiolbassa]

Gaer,
once again, it's a matter of context. What may be right in one context may very definitely be wrong in another.
what makes this forum interesting is that we are all coming from different perspectives. Linguists, translators and teachers have to use correct grammar. They have to explain to students that "I'm lovin' it" is not good grammar - but they may also tell them that it is becoming usage (which I still doubt...). The non-professional language user-cum-lover will see things from a completely different perspective ... hence the hair-splitter reproaches from the one group and the "elitest" approach of the other.
As long as it's all good-natured, it's fun!

 

[Markus]

there's nothing wrong or uneducated about "i'm loving it." it would be weird to say "i love mcdonalds", it sounds too strong. "i'm loving it" seems lighter to me. exactly like you'd say "i'm loving your hair today." you wouldn't say "i'm loving my mom today." the use of the gerund here conveys a lighter, more temporary feeling.

This is exactly how the use of the gerund feels to me! Thank you for explaining better than I would have been able to.

 

[mjscott]

gaer-
Have felt exactly the same way about Shakespeare. He can take the end of a phrase, turn it over and weave it in as another part of speech to the following thought, neatly box in that thought and present it to the reader. A contemporary lyricist whose style reminds me of this is Stephen Sondheim--(although it is almost considered sacreligious by some to compare anyone to Shakespeare.)

Concerning "I'm lovin' it"
Except for the contractions (I'm, lovin') what exactly is wrong with it grammatically?

If someone said, "How do you like your new haircut?"
--and I said, "I'm loving it!"

Is there something grammatically wrong with that reply?

 

[kiolbassa]

gaer-

Concerning "I'm lovin' it"
Except for the contractions (I'm, lovin') what exactly is wrong with it grammatically?

If someone said, "How do you like your new haircut?"
--and I said, "I'm loving it!"

Is there something grammatically wrong with that reply?

The grammar rule says that "state" verbs are not usually used in the continuous form. State verbs describe things that stay the same. Other state verbs beside "love" are: believe, like, know, own, remember, understand, want.

If you want to use proper grammar (obviously a personal choice), you will say "I believe you", not "I'm believing you" "I know it" not "I'm knowing it" and so on and so forth.

The operative word is probably "usually" - exceptions always exist and if they don't - you can just make your own (but perhaps not in a job application!)
cheers!

 

[ameridude]

"I'm loving it" is not grammatically correct. While the phrase is understandable, it should be avoided. If you are in professional circles and want to appear to educated, proper grammar is important.

 

[cuchuflete]

Kiolbasa gave a "rule". It's new to me. I don't read English grammar books with any frequency. I'm pondering it. "To ponder" must be a stateless verb. "To understand" was on the list of state verbs. Perhaps I'm not understanding it!

 

[kiolbassa]

Kiolbasa gave a "rule". It's new to me. I don't read English grammar books with any frequency. I'm pondering it. "To ponder" must be a stateless verb. "To understand" was on the list of state verbs. Perhaps I'm not understanding it!

suggestion: access any English grammar website or book, go to the lessons on the present continuous (also known as progressive) and look under "when not to use" - I'm not inventing anything - this is standard pre-intermediate English (call it English 101 if you prefer). Sorry if you don't agree, but that's just the way it is.

As for your "pondering", I don't think you can use it in that way at all: you can ponder something OVER, or ponder ON something, or ponder whether or not to do something but simply "ponder(ing) it" sounds weird. Worth a new thread perhaps?

 

[lizzie chen]

well, I think "I'm lovin it" is all right. At least everyone can understand it. esp. when it's in a non-English speaking country, it's easy for people to understand. In China,we have the same ad slogan "我就喜欢＂．

 

[mzsweeett]

suggestion: access any English grammar website or book, go to the lessons on the present continuous (also known as progressive) and look under "when not to use" - I'm not inventing anything - this is standard pre-intermediate English (call it English 101 if you prefer). Sorry if you don't agree, but that's just the way it is.

As for your "pondering", I don't think you can use it in that way at all: you can ponder something OVER, or ponder ON something, or ponder whether or not to do something but simply "ponder(ing) it" sounds weird. Worth a new thread perhaps?

It may be in the grammar books that way my friend.....but the spoken greatly differs from the statements you have given.
"I am pondering....." this is a very common phrase. In America, we use it all the time, whether correct or not. I suppose that is why we are so much of a colloquial language and not a "proper" one. It is few and far between so hear someone speaking "properly". We learn ther rules for it in early years, but stray away from them as time goes on. Not to seem argumentative, but I just do not agree. Nothing personal my friend.
Would you care for some coffee?? Fresh brewed!!!

Sweet T.

 

[cuchuflete]

Please Kiolbassa, don't be defensive. I'm sure the rule you cited really exists. My point is that the huge majority of native English speakers have no idea what the "present continuous" is. Nor do they care. The spoken language violates thousands of rules such as these.

There were just a few hundred google examples of "I'm ponderinghttp://www.google.com/url?sa=X&oi=dict&q=http://www.answers.com/pondering%26r%3D67 it", which suggests that it is not common usage. I read a few of them, and they don't sound strange or awkward or in any way wrong. There were about twice as many citations for "I'm understanding it", which also appears to violate the rule, but also sounds perfectly ok to me, at least as I'm understanding it.

cheers,
Cuchuflete

suggestion: access any English grammar website or book, go to the lessons on the present continuous (also known as progressive) and look under "when not to use" - I'm not inventing anything - this is standard pre-intermediate English (call it English 101 if you prefer). Sorry if you don't agree, but that's just the way it is.

As for your "pondering", I don't think you can use it in that way at all: you can ponder something OVER, or ponder ON something, or ponder whether or not to do something but simply "ponder(ing) it" sounds weird. Worth a new thread perhaps?

 

[kiolbassa]

It may be in the grammar books that way my friend.....but the spoken greatly differs from the statements you have given.

Would you care for some coffee?? Fresh brewed!!!

Sweet T.

some like their coffee brewed, others prefer espresso and others only take tea - thank god for diversity!

(but if you look at my earlier entry, I underscored that usage is personal choice!)

 

[mzsweeett]

some like their coffee brewed, others prefer espresso and others only take tea - thank god for diversity!

(but if you look at my earlier entry, I underscored that usage is personal choice!)

Hmmm, I actually did not see it!! I shall have another look. Ah, there it is...sorry friend.
Please don't be so defensive. There is no malicious intent in any of my words. If I took all of my disagreements from the other foreros here to heart....... I'd spend my day stealing Te Gato's chocolates and gulping massive quantites of coffee in a corner!! Only to find myself with a strange twitching (caffeine perhaps??)

Hugs for all,

Sweet T.

 

[te gato]

Hmmm, I actually did not see it!! I shall have another look. Ah, there it is...sorry friend.
Please don't be so defensive. There is no malicious intent in any of my words. If I took all of my disagreements from the other foreros here to heart....... I'd spend my day stealing Te Gato's chocolates and gulping massive quantites of coffee in a corner!! Only to find myself with a strange twitching (caffeine perhaps??)

Hugs for all,

Sweet T.

Hey MZ;
First things first...I'm pondering the idea of you stealing my chocolate..mmmm..
no need to steal, I share.
I personally think that we on the English forum do not do or say anything malicious..we offer our opinions on both the written and oddly spoken English language..and the diversity of the spoken English is amazing..you do not have to like some of the sayings..or the idea that they do not conform to the 'rules'..but just realize that they are there..they exist..whether they are proper or not..
What sounds fine to my ear..might not to yours..does it make it wrong..no..is it still said..yes. Do we try and help each other understand..most definitely!!..That is why we are here...Some of us have different writing styles..(for which I have recently taken a 'hit' ) Should it matter..no, due to the fact that we are all learning and 'lovin' it'...
So do not worry..we know that you are not malicious..

te gato
P.S..Mods..if you wish you may delete this post if you feel it is in anyway inapproperiate...and not pertaining to the subject at hand..

 

[Aeneas]

I know I'm feelin' the direction of this thread.

 

[cuchuflete]

Well TG, I'm stealing your thought of pondering my chocolate, but you're understanding it differently, I imagine.

Hey MZ;
First things first...I'm pondering the idea of you stealing my chocolate..mmmm..
no need to steal, I share.
I personally think that we on the English forum do not do or say anything malicious..we offer our opinions on both the written and oddly spoken English language..and the diversity of the spoken English is amazing..you do not have to like some of the sayings..or the idea that they do not conform to the 'rules'..but just realize that they are there..they exist..whether they are proper or not..
What sounds fine to my ear..might not to yours..does it make it wrong..no..is it still said..yes. Do we try and help each other understand..most definitely!!..That is why we are here...Some of us have different writing styles..(for which I have recently taken a 'hit' ) Should it matter..no, due to the fact that we are all learning and 'lovin' it'...
So do not worry..we know that you are not malicious..

te gato
P.S..Mods..if you wish you may delete this post if you feel it is in anyway inapproperiate...and not pertaining to the subject at hand..

As often as you and billions of other English speakers do this, it still makes my head hurt:

Do we try and to help each other understand

I don't know if there is a rule for it Still pondering how infinitives get truncated.

 

[timpeac]

Kiolbasa gave a "rule". It's new to me. I don't read English grammar books with any frequency. I'm pondering it. "To ponder" must be a stateless verb. "To understand" was on the list of state verbs. Perhaps I'm not understanding it!

Yes, it's quite right. I touched on this a bit in linguistics at uni and was wracking my brains for the terms when Kiolbassa came up with them.

If memory serves (and memory of any time at uni is through a haze of beer and thus not 100 per cent reliable...) the grammatical analysis in terms of the mode of a verb (stative etc) comes from the realisation that many languages are not like Latin which hitherto had been used as the grammatical model to describe all languages. I believe (and again could be wrong) that it was a grammatician studying Hungarian that decided that enough was enough and that a new non-romance model was needed for grammar, and came up with this. It turns out to be much more applicable to English than the Latin model, but has still not overtaken its predecessor.

By the way Markus I am loving ( ) your original comment that usage defines a language and not the other way round. Also Kiolbassa your jokey reply that French is the exception to this is soooooo true. I have lost count of the number of times in the French forum that I have tried to make this point just to be met with a barrage of "it is incorrect period since it is not in my grammar book or dictionary". 99% of the population may say something but if someone has omitted to write it in a dictionary you can forget it. Ahhh soul mates at last!!

 

[gaer]

Gaer,
once again, it's a matter of context. What may be right in one context may very definitely be wrong in another.
what makes this forum interesting is that we are all coming from different perspectives. Linguists, translators and teachers have to use correct grammar. They have to explain to students that "I'm lovin' it" is not good grammar - but they may also tell them that it is becoming usage (which I still doubt...). The non-professional language user-cum-lover will see things from a completely different perspective ... hence the hair-splitter reproaches from the one group and the "elitest" approach of the other.
As long as it's all good-natured, it's fun!

First of all, I don't know what "I'm loving it" is incorrect grammar.

1) I am loving this conversation…
2) I am enjoying this conversation…

Second, I've heard the "I'm lovin' it" construction for many years. So I see nothing recent about it.

Third, the "elitist" point of view might be nothing more than conservative and inflexible. Whatever we call it, sometimes I agree with that point of view, since certain words or phrases annoy me.

But I think it still ends up a matter of preference in the end. I don't know why we can't express our opinions as preferences, at least in many cases, rather than "right/wrong", "good/bad", "educated/uneducated". It seems to me that things that don't work in English are automatically rejected in time. I trust fine writers to do what they have always done, pick the best language to express their ideas, and I also believe that such writers have extraodinary power, much more than grammarians or English teachers.

Gaer

 

[kiolbassa]

Gaer:
"First of all, I don't know what "I'm loving it" is incorrect grammar."
???

 

[te gato]

Well TG, I'm stealing your thought of pondering my chocolate, but you're understanding it differently, I imagine.

As often as you and billions of other English speakers do this, it still makes my head hurt:

I don't know if there is a rule for it Still pondering how infinitives get truncated.

Hey Cuchu KIA;
I am sorry that my pondering makes you ponder how hurt your head is...want some of my chocolate?..no rules attached to it...
Thank you for the correction also...
te gato

 

[languageGuy]

Maybe a more revealing insight about this whole discussion is not what is says about grammar in today's society, but what is says about love.

Do we now see love not as a state, but as an action? Is "I am loving" similar to "I am swimming"? With coupling and uncoupling so common, with little thought given to divorce and remarriage, maybe "I'm loving you" is more appropriate today. No guaranties about the future, but at the moment, "I am loving you." (Check with my lawyer about tomorrow.)

 

[kennytimes2]

Absolute not. It's an ad for hamburgers, not a Valentine's Day card.

 

[gaer]

Gaer:
"First of all, I don't know what "I'm loving it" is incorrect grammar."
???

I'm sorry. Did you leave something out, above? I'm very confused, but that is a very common state for me.

I'm pondering what I might have said, and I'm not understanding things at the moment. Perhaps when I get some more sleep, I can come back later and say.

I'm loving it here again, in the forum.

Gaer

 

[gaer]

Maybe a more revealing insight about this whole discussion is not what is says about grammar in today's society, but what is says about love.

Do we now see love not as a state, but as an action? Is "I am loving" similar to "I am swimming"? With coupling and uncoupling so common, with little thought given to divorce and remarriage, maybe "I'm loving you" is more appropriate today. No guaranties about the future, but at the moment, "I am loving you." (Check with my lawyer about tomorrow.)

I still think that "I'm lovin' it" is just another way to say "I'm enjoying it very much." Or something like that.

Perhaps my view of language is unusual. I like to think about it, to analyze it, to study the history of it, and I DO like to know what the "rules" are—and who made them, or who is making them.

But language is also so much FUN. I hate to see the fun taken out of it by looking at things too seriously. I have the best time in these forums when people make serious points, well presented, in a way that is also light and playful.

It may seem as paradox, but I do think we can be serious about things and have fun at the same time. Does anyone else agree with this?

Gaer

 

[gaer]

Hey Cuchu KIA;
I am sorry that my pondering makes you ponder how hurt your head is...want some of my chocolate?..no rules attached to it...
Thank you for the correction also...
te gato

STOP IT. You are cruel and inhuman. Just about the time I get marginally sane, you talk about chocolate. And if I can keep from going full-tilt-bozo, then you bring up DARK chocolate. And you gave me your headache.

Ah, if only I could find some huge block of dark chocolate, then I would write you back and say: "I'm lovin'g it, it's all mine."

By the way, how's your headache?

Gaer

 

[lsp]

as far as the "I'm lovin' it" trend, it is more a marketing ploy than anything that should be seen as reflective of American culture as a whole.

For those of you who are not American, and perhaps are not familiar with the TV commercials, I'll explain, albeit briefly. They are an attempt by McDonald's to "connect" with a certain segment of the population that isn't particularly well-educated. In fact, those ads remind me how poorly many of my fellow Americans have been educated. I've met many Europeans who speak better English than them.

The bottom line: don't take your cues from a McDonald's ad.

"...better English than they (do)."

I cannot imagine you meant to be insulting, so I will just say I do not agree with you. Moreover, this fellow American finds the McDonalds campaign catchy.

 

[Markus]

It may seem as paradox, but I do think we can be serious about things and have fun at the same time. Does anyone else agree with this?

I for one should hope this is not a paradox! Consider choosing a career. Ideally, what you choose should be something you're passionate about, and by extension enjoy and therefore have fun with! If you have found something that you take seriously and find fun at the same time, you've found the key to a happy life (or at least career) in my opinion.

 

[cuchuflete]

Hi Gaer,
You are correct. We can be serious and passionate and lighthearted at the same time.
I'm understanding it that way. But let's not get ponderous over it. Te Gato has the chocolate. She is having the chocolate. The chocolate is pondering its futile attempts at escape to a non continuous state. Alberta is loving it. Te Gato is still having the dark chocolate.

The present continuous is also called the progressive. Rush Bimbaugh eating his heart out. Please pass me a liberal dose of dark chocolate. The present continuous sounds like the gift of a Mobius strip. Chocolate covered, of course.

 

[mjscott]

As soon as I say, "I love it!" --it is past tense! It has already happened, I have already loved it--on to dessert. I'm needing the chocolate!

 

[te gato]

As soon as I say, "I love it!" --it is past tense! It has already happened, I have already loved it--on to dessert. I'm needing the chocolate!

And I still have the dark chocolate..and..'I'm lovin' it'...

te gato

 

[mjscott]

MMMMMMMM m&m's is now making dark chocolate M&Ms. I'm lovin' it.

Is everyone getting dark chocolate M&Ms in their area? (Sorry, sometimes I can't just go to the Godiva store--If Safeway is nearby or 7-11 at 2:00 in the morning, dark chocolate M&Ms will do....)

Speaking of present participles, I used to tell my kids to behave. They would tell me that they WERE being have (hayve). New verb--being have. Whaddaya think? Nah! For little kids it's cute, but I'm not lovin' it.

 

[gaer]

"...better English than they (do)."

I cannot imagine you meant to be insulting, so I will just say I do not agree with you. Moreover, this fellow American finds the McDonalds campaign catchy.

You find it catchy? How DARE you?

By the way, I hope you don't think you use "better English" than me.

You could get into another discussion that would bring up a debate that has been going on at least a century between the "than I" and the "then me" groups.

Gaer

 

[gaer]

Hi Gaer,
You are correct. We can be serious and passionate and lighthearted at the same time.
I'm understanding it that way. But let's not get ponderous over it. Te Gato has the chocolate. She is having the chocolate. The chocolate is pondering its futile attempts at escape to a non continuous state. Alberta is loving it. Te Gato is still having the dark chocolate.

The present continuous is also called the progressive. Rush Bimbaugh eating his heart out. Please pass me a liberal dose of dark chocolate. The present continuous sounds like the gift of a Mobius strip. Chocolate covered, of course.

Cuchu: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

These women have the chocalate, and I'm not loving it at all. I'm not ponderous, but I might be if I could eat as much of it as I'd like.

Gaer

 

[eric00]

"I'm loving it" is not grammatically correct. While the phrase is understandable, it should be avoided. If you are in professional circles and want to appear to educated, proper grammar is important.

hi ameridude,
You remind me of Pygamalion by Bernard Shaw!

 

[te gato]

MMMMMMMM m&m's is now making dark chocolate M&Ms. I'm lovin' it.

Is everyone getting dark chocolate M&Ms in their area? (Sorry, sometimes I can't just go to the Godiva store--If Safeway is nearby or 7-11 at 2:00 in the morning, dark chocolate M&Ms will do....)

Speaking of present participles, I used to tell my kids to behave. They would tell me that they WERE being have (hayve). New verb--being have. Whaddaya think? Nah! For little kids it's cute, but I'm not lovin' it.

Hey mjscott;
DARK CHOCOLATE M&M'S...Agggggg...no..no..no..Not here!!!!
I was 'being have'....pleeeesssseeee..send me some..
I'm not lovin' the fact that we don't have them here...

te gato

 

[kiolbassa]

Hello everyone!
ever heard the expression "flogging a dead horse"?
Time to be changing the subject I think!

 

[DareRyan]

Well state verbs can end in ING but I think only when they are Gerunds

 

[HistofEng]

Many words and and word constructions that we take for granted as proper today were once frowned upon by the elite society in the past


300 years ago you would hate to be caught saying the uneducated "width" instead of the much more proper "wideness"

 

[bartonig]

... use defines language ... Markus

Is this true? When Johnson wrote his dictionary he essentially catalogued the vocabulary of literature of the Elizabethan age some 150 years earlier than his time. He only included 'modern' words if there was a gap in the Elizabethan vocabulary. He excluded all dialect vocabulary on the basis of its ephemeral nature and any current English vocabulary that had been altered by contact with foreigners! And yet, his dictionary has been so influential. Some people still refer to it today.