5 ms·

and I think "literally" abuse is a sympton of that

iainmerrick 2y ago
But come on, that's been going on for literally centuries.
alt227 2y ago
They changed the definition of 'literally' to fit the modern meaning. You can no longer call it abuse now as the misuse fits the new definition. See definition 2 here: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/literally https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/literal...
- dghlsakjg 2y ago
  Literally false: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/misuse-of-literally Use of literally in, well, the non-literal sense dates back hundreds of years.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - alt227 2y ago
    I literally had no idea.
- feoren 2y ago
  That definition genuinely gives me cancer. I seriously, 100% am going to die now because dictionary editors don't seem to grasp that this is simply a "tone" of ironically over-emphasized speaking similar to sarcasm, and not a new definition of one word. I'm 250% honestly in chemotherapy now because they don't get that. Veritably, indubitably, unarguably cooked now. Thanks, dictionary editors.
  - jhanschoo 2y ago
    The stronger player was handicapped when they gave their opponent a handicap, and yet they still won; they now held in their hands their prize that was the match's prize.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
bena 2y ago
Dickens did it. And people have been doing it since the 1700s. Not to mention, if you're using the word "literally" to mean "something that actually happened", you are also using the word wrong. Because it means "relating to or expressed in letters". I also notice people complain about "literally", but they never complain about "really" which also gets used in the same ways even though it means the opposite. And I've noticed people do it as a substitute for intelligence. They complain about these things to seem intelligent. To seem knowledgeable. But when confronted with knowledge that contradicts the complaint, they try to dismiss the knowledge rather than adjust their point of view. Similar with fewer/less. These words mean the same thing. There are no rules as to when to use one or the other. There was the preference of one guy, who even said that he had no reason for it, he just liked it. And people took that as an ironclad rule. Or the gif debate. People try to invent all of these rules, but get pissy when you point out all the places where English does not follow those rules.
- alt227 2y ago
  What would you suggest using instead. Actually?
  - bena 2y ago
    People are generally good at context. Tone, expression, etc, all of these things are parts of communication that do matter. Assume your audience is at least as smart as you are.
    - alt227 2y ago
      When communicating through text only, tone and expression is all but lost which means we need to rely on the literal/actual/exact definition of words to convey our intended meaning. However it seems people dont agree on the exact meanings of words (using literally in this case), and so the intention often gets lost in translation and causes disagreements. I feel personally this is a big reason why communication across the internet is becoming much more intense and full of conflict.
  - jamincan 2y ago

But come on, that's been going on for literally centuries.

They changed the definition of 'literally' to fit the modern meaning. You can no longer call it abuse now as the misuse fits the new definition. See definition 2 here: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/literally https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/literal...

dghlsakjg 2y ago
Literally false: https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/misuse-of-literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/misuse-of-literally Use of literally in, well, the non-literal sense dates back hundreds of years.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- alt227 2y ago
  I literally had no idea.
feoren 2y ago
That definition genuinely gives me cancer. I seriously, 100% am going to die now because dictionary editors don't seem to grasp that this is simply a "tone" of ironically over-emphasized speaking similar to sarcasm, and not a new definition of one word. I'm 250% honestly in chemotherapy now because they don't get that. Veritably, indubitably, unarguably cooked now. Thanks, dictionary editors.
- jhanschoo 2y ago
  The stronger player was handicapped when they gave their opponent a handicap, and yet they still won; they now held in their hands their prize that was the match's prize.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

bena 2y ago

Dickens did it. And people have been doing it since the 1700s. Not to mention, if you're using the word "literally" to mean "something that actually happened", you are also using the word wrong. Because it means "relating to or expressed in letters". I also notice people complain about "literally", but they never complain about "really" which also gets used in the same ways even though it means the opposite. And I've noticed people do it as a substitute for intelligence. They complain about these things to seem intelligent. To seem knowledgeable. But when confronted with knowledge that contradicts the complaint, they try to dismiss the knowledge rather than adjust their point of view. Similar with fewer/less. These words mean the same thing. There are no rules as to when to use one or the other. There was the preference of one guy, who even said that he had no reason for it, he just liked it. And people took that as an ironclad rule. Or the gif debate. People try to invent all of these rules, but get pissy when you point out all the places where English does not follow those rules.

alt227 2y ago
What would you suggest using instead. Actually?
- bena 2y ago
  People are generally good at context. Tone, expression, etc, all of these things are parts of communication that do matter. Assume your audience is at least as smart as you are.
  - alt227 2y ago
    When communicating through text only, tone and expression is all but lost which means we need to rely on the literal/actual/exact definition of words to convey our intended meaning. However it seems people dont agree on the exact meanings of words (using literally in this case), and so the intention often gets lost in translation and causes disagreements. I feel personally this is a big reason why communication across the internet is becoming much more intense and full of conflict.
- jamincan 2y ago