Literally now literally means not literally
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I used to get excited about such blatant corruption, but now that the number of people too lazy or ignorant to use their own native language correctly far exceeds the number of us who care, it hardly seems worth the effort. Let them drown in their stupidity... :|
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
it hardly seems worth the effort.
So you're too lazy to care?
I'm brazilian and english (well, human languages in general) aren't my best skill, so, sorry by my english. (if you want we can speak in C# or VB.Net =p) "Given the chance I'd rather work smart than work hard." - PHS241 "'Sophisticated platform' typically means 'I have no idea how it works.'"
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Yea, that one is annoying. But how about "virtually". When I see this in advertisements, I always convert to "not". For example: "Makes your glasses virtually spot free" = "Makes your glasses *not* spot free" "Virtually unstoppable" = "Not unstoppable" "Virtually the best you can buy" = "Not the best you can buy" etc. :D
Tom Clement wrote:
"Virtually unstoppable" = "Not unstoppable"
That only means it can be overridden to be stoppable.
I'm brazilian and english (well, human languages in general) aren't my best skill, so, sorry by my english. (if you want we can speak in C# or VB.Net =p) "Given the chance I'd rather work smart than work hard." - PHS241 "'Sophisticated platform' typically means 'I have no idea how it works.'"
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Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English, grammar etc but this one[^] particularly gets on my tits. Both the wrong usage of it and the fact it is now going in the Dictionary because people can't use it properly. What do others think of this? To give an example 'This literally made my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling". I mean if literally means not literally then how can we emphasise that "We literally shat ourselves" for example. I'm off home as this has wound me up.
As an avid reader of English literature there are two particular phrases that you will find in Victorian novels that meant something completely different in their day: To make love to - to talk to a woman in a kindly manner and to flirt with said woman. To know - what we would nowadays refer to as making love. So language is very dynamic and even Shakespeare invented words for his works.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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As an avid reader of English literature there are two particular phrases that you will find in Victorian novels that meant something completely different in their day: To make love to - to talk to a woman in a kindly manner and to flirt with said woman. To know - what we would nowadays refer to as making love. So language is very dynamic and even Shakespeare invented words for his works.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
GuyThiebaut wrote:
To make love to - to talk to a woman in a kindly manner and to flirt with said woman.
To know - what we would nowadays refer to as making love.
So language is very dynamic and even Shakespeare invented words for his works.I find this both estragrigating and perpeptiquious.
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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GuyThiebaut wrote:
To make love to - to talk to a woman in a kindly manner and to flirt with said woman.
To know - what we would nowadays refer to as making love.
So language is very dynamic and even Shakespeare invented words for his works.I find this both estragrigating and perpeptiquious.
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
I am now quite discombobulated by your vernacular vulgarisation of mother tongue.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English, grammar etc but this one[^] particularly gets on my tits. Both the wrong usage of it and the fact it is now going in the Dictionary because people can't use it properly. What do others think of this? To give an example 'This literally made my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling". I mean if literally means not literally then how can we emphasise that "We literally shat ourselves" for example. I'm off home as this has wound me up.
Really? So you've never used "Really?" in the sense to question the reality or veracity of something? "Literally?" is used in such a sense. You've got your knickers in a bunch over nothing.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Really? So you've never used "Really?" in the sense to question the reality or veracity of something? "Literally?" is used in such a sense. You've got your knickers in a bunch over nothing.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert EinsteinYou make an excellent point Ahmed. But I think the complaint is that "literally" has had a rather special meaning of "not metaphorically". So if you say "I literally fell flat on my face", you're pointing out that not only did you "fall flat on your face" in the idiom (failed), but, ironically enough, you also literally fell flat on your face (ouch). (Oops, I used the word 'literally' in defining it.... infinite loop alert.) The complaints here are not that language doesn't evolve. As you point out, the same decay happened with 'really'. I'd complain as well about "awesome". Personally, I've avoided using the word since it became the valley girl way of saying one is excited by something. I've started saying "awe inspiring" to emphasize the truly awesome nature of what I'm referring to :). So when one meaning started being diluted from its original intent by exaggeration and overuse, I'd like to find another that I can use in its place. Any suggestions for replacing "literally"?
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You make an excellent point Ahmed. But I think the complaint is that "literally" has had a rather special meaning of "not metaphorically". So if you say "I literally fell flat on my face", you're pointing out that not only did you "fall flat on your face" in the idiom (failed), but, ironically enough, you also literally fell flat on your face (ouch). (Oops, I used the word 'literally' in defining it.... infinite loop alert.) The complaints here are not that language doesn't evolve. As you point out, the same decay happened with 'really'. I'd complain as well about "awesome". Personally, I've avoided using the word since it became the valley girl way of saying one is excited by something. I've started saying "awe inspiring" to emphasize the truly awesome nature of what I'm referring to :). So when one meaning started being diluted from its original intent by exaggeration and overuse, I'd like to find another that I can use in its place. Any suggestions for replacing "literally"?
Seriously? (lol :-D ) Any of these[^] should do. Precisely, indisputably, veritably, strictly and faithfully seem especially appropriate as synonyms to literally. As for "awesome" usage, the way I've heard it used means "extremely impressive", (as in Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker) which seems to me to be correct usage. But, then, what do I know? ;P
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Seriously? (lol :-D ) Any of these[^] should do. Precisely, indisputably, veritably, strictly and faithfully seem especially appropriate as synonyms to literally. As for "awesome" usage, the way I've heard it used means "extremely impressive", (as in Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker) which seems to me to be correct usage. But, then, what do I know? ;P
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English, grammar etc but this one[^] particularly gets on my tits. Both the wrong usage of it and the fact it is now going in the Dictionary because people can't use it properly. What do others think of this? To give an example 'This literally made my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling". I mean if literally means not literally then how can we emphasise that "We literally shat ourselves" for example. I'm off home as this has wound me up.
You should have ended with "I'm off home as this has literally wound me up" :-D :-D
Cheers, विक्रम "We have already been through this, I am not going to repeat myself." - fat_boy, in a global warming thread :doh:
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Yea, that one is annoying. But how about "virtually". When I see this in advertisements, I always convert to "not". For example: "Makes your glasses virtually spot free" = "Makes your glasses *not* spot free" "Virtually unstoppable" = "Not unstoppable" "Virtually the best you can buy" = "Not the best you can buy" etc. :D
Clearly, here "Virtually" = "Almost". Which in context also means practically or actually.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Roger Wright wrote:
, but now that the number of people too lazy or ignorant to use their own native language correctly far exceeds the number of us who care
So exactly when was the reverse true? What year would that have been?
Virtually, like literally never!
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Clearly, here "Virtually" = "Almost". Which in context also means practically or actually.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English, grammar etc but this one[^] particularly gets on my tits. Both the wrong usage of it and the fact it is now going in the Dictionary because people can't use it properly. What do others think of this? To give an example 'This literally made my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling". I mean if literally means not literally then how can we emphasise that "We literally shat ourselves" for example. I'm off home as this has wound me up.
Why? I studied the cr@p out of the English language, and have lots of luverley pieces of paper telling me how wonderful I am with it, so I'm in a position to reveal to you a secret that very few know: There is no such thing as the English language! All English languages died out more than 1500 years ago. What we speak now is a combination of West Saxon, Jute, Latin, French, etc, etc, etc. -- and I believe that we even have a Klingon word or two in our dictionaries, now. I've gone incredibly deeply into this, but have not found a single word of any English language that is still in use -- they all have their roots in other languages. The huge majority of the words we adopted from all these other language are not used "properly" at all, as in they are not used as they are/were used in the original languages. Language drift (which is what you're complaining about, even though the alleged misuse of "literally" is not principally language drift) is just the tip of the iceberg in the English abuse of other peoples' words. So don't worry about it. As I've explained to people a million times, using exaggeration for emphasis is a part of all languages, and exaggerating a situation by using "literally" is far more normal and acceptable than stealing all your words from other languages then misusing most of them.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I don't think saying people use it to mean the opposite is quite right - when I say "I literally starved to death waiting for dinner" I mean "literally" in the original sense, the sentence as a whole is meant to be exaggeration though. "Literally" is still "literally", because the sentence is a lie.
That is actually a very good point: It is precisely because of the uncompromising meaning of 'literally' that the exaggeration becomes obvious. To that end, adding the alternate meaning 'not literally' in the dictionary is rather unhelpful!
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I don't think saying people use it to mean the opposite is quite right - when I say "I literally starved to death waiting for dinner" I mean "literally" in the original sense, the sentence as a whole is meant to be exaggeration though. "Literally" is still "literally", because the sentence is a lie.
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PB 369,783 wrote:
Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English,
Grammatical errors like this literally make my blood boil. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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Grammar and vocabularies are snapshots in time. The human language does not evolve from committee. If it did, we would all still be using those silly British spellings for words.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch
Yes I agree with the language evolving, what I don't agree with is a word that is now ambiguous when it's sole purpose is to clear up ambiguity. If I was actually pulling my hair out I would say 'I'm literally pulling my hair out', now however that sentence doesn't tell you whether I am or not.
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Seems the usage has evolved from proper usage when exaggerating into improper usage when exaggerating. Proper usage (IMO) when exaggerating is to include some form of the word "think". For example (using your examples), 'This literally made my blood boil" came from "I literally thought it was going to make my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling" came from "I literally thought I would climb the ceiling". These are acceptable because the literal is on the thought. Sure you may have literally "thought" it. Now did you really think that? Doubt it. Seems like you are exaggerating your perception at the time. Then we account for the massive amounts of stupid people in the world and they just drop key parts to the phrase. Sometimes I literally think I am the only one that sees these patterns in the world. (Oh no... did I just start a new one?)
Computers have been intelligent for a long time now. It just so happens that the program writers are about as effective as a room full of monkeys trying to crank out a copy of Hamlet.
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Now I don't normally get to pedantic about English, grammar etc but this one[^] particularly gets on my tits. Both the wrong usage of it and the fact it is now going in the Dictionary because people can't use it properly. What do others think of this? To give an example 'This literally made my blood boil" and "I was literally climbing the ceiling". I mean if literally means not literally then how can we emphasise that "We literally shat ourselves" for example. I'm off home as this has wound me up.
We have had exactly the same trend in Norwegian. It is not an import from English: The words are quite different - "literally" = "bokstavlig talt" (literally: spoken letter by letter). "Bokstavlig talt" has taken the meaning of "almost". I guess we just have to accept that language evolves. Are there anyone else around remembering when the Internet was definitely NOT an internet? An internet is (or rather: was) a network for interconnecting a heterogenous set of networks, employing dissimilar network protocols (or at least disjunct addressing schemes, like separate X.25 networks internetted through X.75). At the next Networking Department cocktail party, try quoting RFC791 on this, to support that the original intention of Internet IP was exactly that, to interconnect dissimilar networks. Not to serve as an end to end protocol. Either you will be thrown out immediately, or you will spend the rest of the night in a heated debate where everybody else fiercely oppose you, no matter which RFC791 quotes you present.