Comments on: Apropos of nothing http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:05:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: me http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-517737 Thu, 22 May 2008 07:32:22 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-517737 Which category? Hm. Pedantic? Archaic? Pretentious? Technical? As for butchering foreign words, thank Gitmo that practice has ceased. Which category? Hm.
Pedantic? Archaic? Pretentious? Technical?

As for butchering foreign words, thank Gitmo that practice has ceased.

]]> by: Alana http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516899 Mon, 19 May 2008 06:13:10 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516899 <i>Flanders and Swann may have used “antepenultimate”, but they didn’t coin it. The word has long been in use in discussing Latin syllabic stress patterns.</i> <b>Not just Latin! “Antepenult”, and inflections thereof, are a basic part of modern linguistic vocabulary.</b> Well, sure, but the use of the word in Greek and Latin prosody predates modern linguistics by a good bit ;) Flanders and Swann may have used “antepenultimate”, but they didn’t coin it. The word has long been in use in discussing Latin syllabic stress patterns.

Not just Latin! “Antepenult”, and inflections thereof, are a basic part of modern linguistic vocabulary.

Well, sure, but the use of the word in Greek and Latin prosody predates modern linguistics by a good bit ;)

]]> by: NY Expat http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516872 Sun, 18 May 2008 17:42:55 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516872 I just want to say how anxious I am to see the next comment. I just want to say how anxious I am to see the next comment.

]]> by: Phoenician in a time of Romans http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516871 Sun, 18 May 2008 17:34:50 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516871 In the future, the word "penultimate" will be forgotten. Witness the GCU Ultimate Ship The Second... In the future, the word “penultimate” will be forgotten. Witness the GCU Ultimate Ship The Second…

]]> by: Jasonconga http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516846 Sun, 18 May 2008 13:50:03 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516846 Interestingly enough, while in Cluj-Napoca, Romania yesterday, I was listening to the bus station guy descirbe which stop was the airport stop and he used the word "penultimata" and I could say to my friend, second to last stop? And she was shocked that I had understood that... I love cognitives... Interestingly enough, while in Cluj-Napoca, Romania yesterday, I was listening to the bus station guy descirbe which stop was the airport stop and he used the word “penultimata” and I could say to my friend, second to last stop? And she was shocked that I had understood that… I love cognitives…

]]> by: Lauren http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516813 Sun, 18 May 2008 09:47:40 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516813 Ooh, I like the idea of widespread use of "penultimately" as adverb of choice. It seems approrpiate when listing to-do chores. Ooh, I like the idea of widespread use of “penultimately” as adverb of choice. It seems approrpiate when listing to-do chores.

]]> by: bernarda http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516798 Sun, 18 May 2008 05:07:29 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516798 I regularly use the serial comma. I think it makes a text clearer. As to "penultimate", where is the problem? It is a clearly defined word. Why not eliminate "former" and "latter" in referring to a list of two things then? In this case, "former" simply means "penultimate". Would it be more elegant to say "the penultimate" and "the ultimate"? I regularly use the serial comma. I think it makes a text clearer.

As to “penultimate”, where is the problem? It is a clearly defined word. Why not eliminate “former” and “latter” in referring to a list of two things then? In this case, “former” simply means “penultimate”.

Would it be more elegant to say “the penultimate” and “the ultimate”?

]]> by: denelian http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516785 Sun, 18 May 2008 00:39:42 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516785 <i>The word “penultimate” belongs in the same category as the Oxford comma. What that category is, however, is out of my mental reach. Help from the whip-smart Pandagonians?</i> superfluous? The word “penultimate” belongs in the same category as the Oxford comma. What that category is, however, is out of my mental reach. Help from the whip-smart Pandagonians?

superfluous?

]]> by: Tyro http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516771 Sat, 17 May 2008 21:52:26 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516771 Hm. You know, I think I misinterpreted this the original post. The <i>term</i> "Oxford comma" is certainly a dying term, being replaced by "serial comma", in the way that the word "penultimate" is disappearing and replaced by "second-to-last" or being redefined-due-to-repeated-misuse, like "infer" and "beg the question." However, the <i>use</i> of the Oxford comma is alive and well, because it's taught as standard in schools. At least, I was. When I entered 9th grade, all of us were given a copy of Stunk &amp; White, and it was expected that this was the style book we would adhere to throughout high school. They support the use of the serial/Oxford comma. Hm. You know, I think I misinterpreted this the original post. The term “Oxford comma” is certainly a dying term, being replaced by “serial comma”, in the way that the word “penultimate” is disappearing and replaced by “second-to-last” or being redefined-due-to-repeated-misuse, like “infer” and “beg the question.” However, the use of the Oxford comma is alive and well, because it’s taught as standard in schools. At least, I was.

When I entered 9th grade, all of us were given a copy of Stunk & White, and it was expected that this was the style book we would adhere to throughout high school. They support the use of the serial/Oxford comma.

]]> by: W. Kiernan http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516763 Sat, 17 May 2008 20:08:17 +0100 http://pandagon.blogsome.com/2008/05/17/apropos-of-nothing/#comment-516763 My favorite use of that word is the title of Philip Dick's after-nuclear-war novel <a HREF="http://www.philipkdick.com/works_novels_penultimate.html" rel="nofollow">The Penultimate Truth.</a> "You think," Nicholas said, "that the biggest lie is still to come?" After a long, visibly tormented pause Adams said, "Yes." "They can't just tell the truth?" "The what? Listen, Nick; whoever they are, whatever combination out of all the possible crazy bedfellow conniving, double-dealing deals and deal-outs, whatever group or person has gotten its paws, temporarily anyhow, on the winning cards, after his long day of-- whatever took place; they have a job, Nick: they have the job, now. Of explaining away an entire planet of green, neatly trimmed, leady-gardener cared-for park. _This is it_. And not just satisfactorily explaining it to you or me or a couple of ex-tankers here or there but to hundreds and hundreds of millions of hostile, really furious skeptics who are going to scrutinize every single word that ever issues out of a TV set--by anybody!--from this moment forever into the future. Would you like that job, Nick? Just exactly how well would you like to have to do that?" "I wouldn't," Nicholas said. Adams said, "I would."... "I know," Adams said quietly, "that we can come up with something." Nicholas said, "I know you can, too." Except for that one thing, he said to himself, and put his arm around his wife to draw her closer. You're not going to. Because we will not allow you. My favorite use of that word is the title of Philip Dick’s after-nuclear-war novel The Penultimate Truth.

“You think,” Nicholas said, “that the biggest lie is still to come?”

After a long, visibly tormented pause Adams said, “Yes.”

“They can’t just tell the truth?”

“The what? Listen, Nick; whoever they are, whatever combination out of all the possible crazy bedfellow conniving, double-dealing deals and deal-outs, whatever group or person has gotten its paws, temporarily anyhow, on the winning cards, after his long day of– whatever took place; they have a job, Nick: they have the job, now. Of explaining away an entire planet of green, neatly trimmed, leady-gardener cared-for park. _This is it_. And not just satisfactorily explaining it to you or me or a couple of ex-tankers here or there but to hundreds and hundreds of millions of hostile, really furious skeptics who are going to scrutinize every single word that ever issues out of a TV set–by anybody!–from this moment forever into the future. Would you like that job, Nick? Just exactly how well would you like to have to do that?”

“I wouldn’t,” Nicholas said.

Adams said, “I would.”…

“I know,” Adams said quietly, “that we can come up with something.”

Nicholas said, “I know you can, too.” Except for that one thing, he said to himself, and put his arm around his wife to draw her closer.

You’re not going to.

Because we will not allow you.

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