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It's not neutral. It means "as they say", as opposed to "as we would say", or "don't get too attached to what you think this word should mean, here we're using
by ithkuil 5y ago
It's not neutral. It means "as they say", as opposed to "as we would say", or "don't get too attached to what you think this word should mean, here we're using the meaning as used by the quoted, and we all know that bit everybody agrees on that".
It's a legitimate use of quotations IMO as it clarifies the text, in particular the relationship between the writer (the journalist) and the originator of the message being relayed and interpreted.
- urbandw311er 5y agoPerhaps you’re thinking of single quotes? I believe the ones used here are double quotes which are used to convey reported speech. Source: was a professional writer.
- ithkuil 5y agoI'm talking about the literary device of quoting one word of somebody's speech and inserting it in a text that that person didn't utter. By quoting the word you can make clear that it's meant to be read with the connotation of the quoted person which may not be aligned with the write nor the reader's.