Irregardless, if a word shifts spelling or meaning like this and is generally understood, even if initially by mistake, than it becomes becomes another correct meaning too. Like, literally.
I will never stop being mad that “literally” got a new dictionary definition that’s literally not literally
Maybe it would help if you knew there were more? Or maybe that would make it feel worse, but there are more. It’s a pretty common pattern in language for some reason, called “contronyms.” So literally can mean actually or figuratively, but others include clip (cut off or attach), oversight (to overlook, or to scrutinize closely), sanction (approve something or penalize it), or even fast (moving quickly or still, as in held fast). Context is key, people will adapt as meanings are ever shifting.
or, my favorite, in German “umfahren”
can either mean “drive around”
or “run over”
The sands of time really umfahrened umfahren
In writing, yes. But when spoken the emphasis is different. If the “fahren” is stressed, then you are driving around something (umFAHren). If the “um” is stressed (UMfahren), then you are talking about property damage or murder.
https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/the-300-year-history-of-using-literally-figuratively.html
The fact that most people understand people are being literally figurative is proof that the word is working linguistically. It’s easy to understand in context which use is being intended, and always has been. The fact that people are bothered by it is the new annoying phenomenon.
Pendants should read books, just once, or twice, at least.
That, and then you have my 6-year old who uses “literally” to emphasize his statements. It’s pretty funny to listen for that word at my house. It becomes a game of
Is it Literal?
Is it figurative?
Is it exaggerated?
In the car with my friend and his mom we used to play 20 questions. Over the years we just kept picking weirder and weirder shit. Like “the end of WW1” or “Freddy Mercury’s mustache’s leftmost whisker” or “this round of 20 questions that we are playing right now”.
This went on from when we were like 6 to maybe 20. I think it’s where I learned respect for the precise meaning of words. We’d always try to look for the tiniest excuse to give a misleading but technically true answer, like he might ask “Is it a type of animal?” and the answer was his dog, which is “an animal” and not “a type of animal”, so I’d say no.
We got really good at ferreting each other out on stuff like that.
It’s a fun road trip game and it exercises your kid’s mind. Highly recommended.
Illiterally
Irliterally
Words matter. Think about life before and after the dictionary definition change.
Changing literally to figuratively broke reality.
It was changed September 2011.
That’s not 2016, or 2020, or 2008, or 2001, or even 2012. Which reality break are you talking about?
Factoid
A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition.
After I heard even Sam Harris misuse this word I just accepted it is now a synonym for a fact despite that the original meaning is the exact opposite.
Is such a fucking irony that factoid itself has become a factoid for “bit of trivia”
I’d say definitions are “unverified” given there’s no definition of true or false for one. By the commutative property of isness, that means definitions are factoids and we can eliminate one of the words.
See? We’re making plusforward here. Red commits are better than green commits. That oughta be the first definition in the dictionary imo.
You could almost say the evolving definition of factoid is in of itself an example of the original definition of a factoid.
But you wouldn’t get points in the SAT for it
Some words are poorly designed and IMO that’s one of them. Sure, you can just make up words and give them whatever meaning you want, but it won’t work so well if the word itself causes a bias of assumption towards another meaning, especially if it’s the opposite of what you want it to mean.
Just like inflammable. “In” used in that context usually means “not”. Whoever decided that it should mean “very” in this one case was IMO a bigger idiot than anyone who assumed it’s opposite meaning afterwards. Either that or an asshole if it was deliberate.
“then”* it becomes
Exactly. People shouldn’t misunderestimate the power of using a word wrong.
You are testing the nerves of every descriptivist here
Anybody who whines about prescriptivism is just lazy.
The dictionary is a collection of knowledge not an authority on language.
I’ve been saying this since I watched a video on the history of dictionaries in elementary school (I heard that the I before e except after c rule was made by a guy trying to discredit Shakespeare and got interested)
I’m so glad I’ve been seeing this type of stuff on lemmy. It’s refreshing to see people actually understand that these are just recordings of words and how they’re spelt and pronounced (with bias and purposeful edits) rather than an actual hard line in the sand.
Edit: holy fucking shit I can’t type
A collection of words even, claiming to be a standard.
The dictionary doesn’t claim to be the standard. Also no one has the dictionary you have an abridged version. Because the real one if massive
The therapist should of known better in the first place
should of
eye twitch
That’s you’re problem, not mine
All of the little provocations throughout this thread have been enough to make me twich, but this is the one that pushed me over the edge. I’m this close to printing out your comment just so I can correct it!
Your in you’re write to do this
Aaarrgghh! I was just calming down, and now the twitching is back! Nurse! Nurse! I need my dried frog pills, someone is doing terrible things to the English language online.
Calm down again! It’s oll wright
Dried frog pills?
Yeah like normal frog pills but different colours. Weird to spell it with that silent r, though.
You should read some Discworld!
Get the
pitchforksred pens
*shoulda
Shoulda ftw.
Anyways, about making those friends…
Yeah, and it’s better to be correct then to just leave them in their ignorance.
If we don’t, their never going to improve!
People are really making alot of mistakes in this thread
their
Me: 💥
then
blood pressure spiking
Woah, are you alright?
Than*
*should have
Anyways, shall we talk about your difficulty making friends? Some should of done it a long time ago
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i feel like everyone like this eventually ends up realizing that prescriptivism is silly and language changing is not something that can even be slowed down, it’s like trying to stop fish from evolving
I feel like some of it is worth fighting. Like “literally” being almost useless because it means one thing and also it’s inverse. You now have to specify which one you mean when using it, which negates the point of using it at all. You might as well describe which concept you mean instead.
English makes no sense to begin with. Why do you park in the driveway but drive in the parkway? Why is infinite the opposite of finite but flammable and inflammable are synonymous? Why is the plural of louse lice, the plural of mouse mice, but the plural of house is not hice?
Who cares?
Definitions are useful, and their usefulness is in proportion to their stability over time.
I’d argue that literally isn’t changing definitions. It still means literally. It’s just that the most common usage of ‘literally’ is in a figurative or hyperbolic way. In fact, if the word DID change meaning to mean the opposite version, its usage would become much less meaningful since it’s usage in a figurative way is done to show extreme figurative to the point that it might as well be considered literal, e.g “literally the worst day of my life”
The fact I’ve felt the need to clarify I mean actually literally before shows that the definition is losing it’s purpose. Sure, sometimes it’s clear that it’s hyperbolic, but frequently there isn’t a good way to know what meaning is intended, especially if it’s online and/or you don’t know their person speaking and their tendencies.
Exactly. Moving definitions around makes us lose meaning. Not only in our ability to articulate now, but also to understand what people said in the past.
well then i assume you’re going to start speaking latin? that’s the one language we have that doesn’t change.
I’m talking about people from 20 years ago. People from the previous generation.
More like devolving, am I right?
Good God, you people completely miss the point of the meme. It’s just a joke and you all are treating it like a serious debate on the value of correcting other people’s grammar like that debate isn’t simply a smokescreen for bullies selfishly taking out their emotions on others as it always has been.
c/woosh
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Yes I know I’m saying polite words in an extremely unpleasant tone. No, I can’t control it right now, or rather I’m controlling it as much as I can. Yes, I know you don’t believe me because it’s not that way for you. Yes this sucks.
This is one of my greatest struggles with my ASD.
People straight up don’t believe that tone can be anything but a deliberate decision, so they interpret any unpleasant tone as an insult. It sucks so much.
I really hope this was made by a therapist
Anyone else wonder how some folks will say language sometimes changes related to people speaking lazily, but then you get words changing meaning/emerging with extra syllables like “irregardless” or “disorientated”?
When posts like this pop up, it makes me wonder 'bout those extra syllable words, “So how’s that happen, then?”
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For sure! I’ve mainly heard/read these from native English speakers, which is where more of the confusion comes from.
Sometimes it’s discombobulating, isn’t it?
But no, seriousnessly, get a pinch of lazy, add a pinch of troll, throw in some euphemism, mix thoroughly for a while, and shit happens, like birds and bees.
That means all mixed up
I want to say overregularization.
Boned and deboned mean the same thing.
That’s just your wife trying to change the subject
But fucked and unfucked don’t
Crazy how nature do that
People want to sound fancy.
People when normal language evolution exists: 😱
english language arts classes have set us back millions of years
Anyway, how’s your sex life?
Ohimark
Me: I understand but don’t get why…
Therapist: And. You understand AND don’t get why…
There are no buts in therapy. Only faces and words. Insisting there are any buts in this room gets you committed.
Remember: (points at poster)
No IFs, ANDs, or BUTs.
Only the truth ❤️
Safe Space Version 3.11 — Safe Space for Workgroups
Word filtering is ACTIVE
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ever since squidbillies’ therapist bit, I can’t not read the rapist. anyways
Anyone who is dumb enough to get defensive over something like that probably deserves to be attacked in such a manner.
