Editing 2039: Begging the Question
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic makes fun of the constant battle between those who maintain a | + | {{incomplete|Created by a NAUSEOUS BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
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+ | This comic makes fun of the constant battle between those who maintain a prescriptive view of language and those who have a descriptive view. In the prescriptive view, language has fixed rules and fixed usage, and any usage that does not adhere to established rules is incorrect. In the descriptive view however, language is malleable and any usage can be correct if it is common and understood by most people. | ||
The comic specifically calls out two phrases which are commonly misused in the prescriptive sense, and whose meanings have changed in modern usage in the descriptive sense: | The comic specifically calls out two phrases which are commonly misused in the prescriptive sense, and whose meanings have changed in modern usage in the descriptive sense: | ||
+ | *Nauseous | ||
+ | ''Nauseous'' in its proper form means "causing nausea", while ''nauseated'' means affected with nausea. | ||
− | + | Properly speaking, it is incorrect for Ponytail to say that a food made her ''nauseous'', as this would say that the food made her "causing nausea". As White Hat states, the proper phrasing is that the "the food was nauseous", and it "made [her] feel nauseated". However, "nauseous" as defined as meaning "affected with nausea" has entered common usage. | |
− | '' | ||
− | + | *Begging the question | |
+ | The definition of this phrase is to "raise a question or point that has not been dealt with". However, as the caption explains, Cueball has an entirely different meaning for this phrase that he created himself: "fight a losing battle against changing usage". | ||
− | + | The title text refers to the changing usage of the word ''enormity''. One of its original definitions is to describe the "outrageous or heinous character" or atrocity of an action. Current usage has been relating this word to the word ''enormous'', giving a definition of "greatness of size or scope". | |
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− | The title text also plays on another word commonly argued over by prescriptivists. "Enormity" in its classical usage means either extreme wickedness or a monstrous offense or evil, though it is more commonly used in modern writing as a synonym for enormousness | + | The title text also plays on another word commonly argued over by prescriptivists. "Enormity" in its classical usage means either extreme wickedness or a monstrous offense or evil, though it is more commonly used in modern writing as a synonym for enormousness. The title text intentionally exploits the syntactic ambiguity that this creates. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Ponytail | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
− | :Ponytail: That food made me nauseous. | + | |
− | :White Hat: No, the ''food'' was nauseous. It made you ''nauseated''. | + | :[Ponytail, White Hat, and Cueball standing next to each other talking. White Hat has his hand in the air, making a point] |
+ | :Ponytail: That food made me feel nauseous. | ||
+ | :White Hat: No, the ''food'' was nauseous. It made you feel ''nauseated''. | ||
:Cueball: Come on, you're just begging the question. | :Cueball: Come on, you're just begging the question. | ||
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:[Caption below the frame:] | :[Caption below the frame:] | ||
:I annoy people on all sides by using "beg the question" to mean "fight a losing battle against changing usage". | :I annoy people on all sides by using "beg the question" to mean "fight a losing battle against changing usage". | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] | [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] | ||
[[Category:Language]] | [[Category:Language]] | ||
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