Subject:
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Re: Hiroshima-Was It Necessary?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 18 Oct 2001 14:11:48 GMT
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Viewed:
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636 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Kirby Warden writes:
> > I consider Bionicle to be terrible, but LEGO isn't a terrorist
> > organization as a result. I would suggest that, rather than trying to
> > define words (which, to me, suggests an effort to identify with relative
> > precision the meanings of words), you are actually trying to extend the
> > meaning of a word to the point that it has no useful meaning.
> No, what I am doing is returning the word to its base definition... it's
> original meaning.
That's fine, but your method is also somewhat arbitrary and could border
on pedantic. Elsewhere in this debate dozens of posts have been devoted to
exactly the problem of dictionary definitions relative to the real world; on
paper, the definition is static and can't be smoothly applied to all
situations. That's always been the case, and it likely always will be.
Words expand beyond their origins almost as soon as they are first used.
> Terror, Terrorize, Terrorist, Terrorism, Terrible
> All of the above mean; to frighten
"To frighten" is part of each word's definition, but not its entirety.
Terrible also means "unpleasant" or "very bad" according to Dictionary.com:
http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=terrible
> Look up the word *Fright*, it means a sudden fear or terror (Webster).
>
> Fright and Terror both have roots in Middle English language.
Latin, actually, but I won't nitpick.
> It is easy to use American words as slang, even those words that actually
> have a definition are often used as slang.
There is likewise a tendency to ascribe transcendent meaning to the
dictionary definitions of words, as if those definitions are writ in stone
by a divine hand. Words are fluid, even those words that actually have a
definition.
> Your above description of bionicles as terrible is a slang usage, as I hardly
> think you honestly have a sense of dread when gazing at them. You may, of
> course, be pessimistic about the future of Lego brand toys while looking at
> Bionicles.
Well, they do inspire a sense of dread at the state of LEGO brand
construction toys, but I retain my optimism by checking out the great
products released by MegaBloks.
> So, I must disagree with you that I have extended the definition of *Terror*
> to point of making it obsolete, but rather that I have taken it back to its
> roots and used it properly.
Then any time you describe someone as hysterical you are of course saying
that the person is suffering from a nervous condition resulting from a
problem with the uterus? You don't pick apples from the roots of the apple
tree. The roots are the beginning, not the end, of a word.
There is a widespread misconception that the root of the word is its
proper usage, and that modern permutations are somehow degraded, inferior
forms of earlier, "purer" language. This is a false notion, and unless you
are in the habit of speaking in prehistoric grunts and clicks, your
"language to its roots" argument is inconsistent.
> On a side note, I used to have great difficulty in vocabulary and dictionary
> skills, but my teachers decided to hold me back an extra year in elementary
> so that I could get it right. I think they did a good job on me as I did
> quite well in highschool excellerated English classes (still need to work on
> them grammer skills, but important things must come first).
As an English major, I commend you on your diligence and the accelerated
pace of your education.
Dave!
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Hiroshima-Was It Necessary?
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| the overall point here is that several people in this debate could not agree with eachother's definition of terrorism. It was my intention to show that there is actually one definition that does apply. in an earlier post a few months ago, I (...) (23 years ago, 18-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Hiroshima-Was It Necessary?
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| (...) No, what I am doing is returning the word to its base definition... it's original meaning. Terror Terrorize Terrorist Terrorism Terrible All of the above mean; to frighten For you to say that the bionicles are *terrible* is fine, unfortunately (...) (23 years ago, 18-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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