ladyofastolat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladyofastolat) wrote2015-01-23 02:43 pm
ladyofastolat) wrote2015-01-23 02:43 pm
Entry tags:
Tautology
I've just come across one of those books in which some Opinionated Person rants about the way "people nowadays" use language. You see, after many centuries of evolution, the English language coincidentally reached its pinnacle of perfection on this man's eighteenth birthday, and all change since then is wrong and bad.
The page I opened at random was ranting about tautology. It is nonsensical (and wrong and bad) to say, "I'm currently at my desk," he declared, because the present tense is already implied by the verb. However, to me, there is a definite difference between, "Tim is Lord of All Hamsters," and, "Tim is currently Lord of All Hamsters." The latter suggests that Lord of All Hamsters is a distinctly temporary title, and if you come back in a year, you might find Tim's furry nemesis wielding the bejewelled feeding bottle of power, and Tim reduced to sawdust and memory.
"Delays due to an earlier accident," is also condemned as nonsensical (and wrong and bad.) "Well, it can't be because of a future accident," the author scoffs. To me, though, "delays due to an accident," and, "delays due to an earlier accident," are different. The latter suggests that the worst is past, although the effects of the earlier chaos have not yet fully dissipated.
Worst of all, in the Opiniated Person's view, was, "next year, we intend to make further enhancements to our service." He could not even begin to conceive how it was possible to make further enhancements to something. "Um, perhaps because they want to make clear that they've already improved the service in the past?" I shouted (silently) at him.
At this point, I closed the book, and stepped quietly away. It felt wiser thus.
The page I opened at random was ranting about tautology. It is nonsensical (and wrong and bad) to say, "I'm currently at my desk," he declared, because the present tense is already implied by the verb. However, to me, there is a definite difference between, "Tim is Lord of All Hamsters," and, "Tim is currently Lord of All Hamsters." The latter suggests that Lord of All Hamsters is a distinctly temporary title, and if you come back in a year, you might find Tim's furry nemesis wielding the bejewelled feeding bottle of power, and Tim reduced to sawdust and memory.
"Delays due to an earlier accident," is also condemned as nonsensical (and wrong and bad.) "Well, it can't be because of a future accident," the author scoffs. To me, though, "delays due to an accident," and, "delays due to an earlier accident," are different. The latter suggests that the worst is past, although the effects of the earlier chaos have not yet fully dissipated.
Worst of all, in the Opiniated Person's view, was, "next year, we intend to make further enhancements to our service." He could not even begin to conceive how it was possible to make further enhancements to something. "Um, perhaps because they want to make clear that they've already improved the service in the past?" I shouted (silently) at him.
At this point, I closed the book, and stepped quietly away. It felt wiser thus.
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I wonder if the publishers had to deprive the author of coffee and cigarettes during the writing process in order to produce that pitch of screaming outrage about nothing much at all?
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http://io9.com/10-things-people-once-complained-would-ruin-the-english-1684240298