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That's actually how language works. We use the common, dictionary definition of words, not whatever some academic with an agenda made up.
by pnako 6y ago
That's actually how language works. We use the common, dictionary definition of words, not whatever some academic with an agenda made up.
- yokaze 6y agoIs a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Whose made up agenda is behind this and what is it? Relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1576/ https://xkcd.com/1576/ And at least according to makers of the OED, it does not define words, it describes them: https://languages.oup.com/about-us/how-we-create-language-content/ https://languages.oup.com/about-us/how-we-create-language-co...
- Pfhreak 6y agoYou believe that language is prescriptive -- that there are 'correct' usages of words. [1] I believe that language is descriptive -- that dictionaries follow common usage rather than define the usage. Depending on your cultural heritage, one or the other may be more common. Descriptivism allows for expressions like, "To boldly go where no man has gone before!" which is a split infinitive, and an 'incorrect' use of language. If a native speaker would say a thing in speaking, then it's valid. Native English speakers use language in all sorts of ways that would be 'incorrect' -- from jive to rhyming slang to 1337 sp34k to adoptions from queer culture like 'shade' or 'yass'. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_prescription https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_prescription