2 ms·
Maybe you mean, dictionaries aren't supposed to redefine words. Officially, everyone working on a dictionary is a good honest little descriptivist. But it's no
by vintermann 4y ago
Maybe you mean, dictionaries aren't supposed to redefine words. Officially, everyone working on a dictionary is a good honest little descriptivist.
But it's not like you can replace a lexicographer with a transparent mathematical algorithm. There's plenty of room for judgement calls, and very little room for correction, since dictionaries have a self-reinforcing effect. People certainly use dictionaries prescriptively, so there's always some (petty) power at stake in getting to say what the right meaning is.
- vintermann 4y agoIt occurs to me, that even though gaslighting is certainly too strong a word, there ought to be a word for this: making a statement of the definition of how it should work, and using it as proof that's self-evidently how it actually works. I feel like I see it a lot. Some typical phrases used as evidence for the ideal they represent: "Representatives protect the interests of their constituents". "Judges base their decisions on facts and the rule of law". "Newspapers cover those topics which are deemed to be interesting to their readers". "A balanced portfolio invests in diverse stocks and bonds to reduce volatility".
- mgdlbp 4y agoTautological statement is tautological.