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I don't understand how professional writers constantly misuse "begs the question".
by nhayden 12y ago
I don't understand how professional writers constantly misuse "begs the question".
- wodenokoto 12y agoBecause professional writers caught up with the times and use it to mean what everybody understand it to mean.
- mdellabitta 12y agoWe need something to mean what "begs the question" used to mean, then, because it's an important concept to be aware of.
- nhayden 12y agoOr they could be less confusing with their writing, use "raises the question" like they intended to, and not look stupid in the process.
- dllthomas 12y agoOr, for variety, "begs us to ask".
- esbranson 12y agoBecause its English. There is no such thing as "misuse". Words mean what readers and writers think they mean. Its a communication medium, not an exercise in bureaucracy.
- nhayden 12y agoI don't get why people defend incorrect language usage but wouldn't defend terrible misspellings, like "definitely" as "defiantly". They're both equally "wrong" but one is acceptable and one isn't. I agree that language is an evolution and there is no "wrong", but that doesn't stop people from looking stupid by trying write intelligently and falling on their faces.