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- Newsgroups: alt.usage.english
- Path: sparky!uunet!europa.asd.contel.com!darwin.sura.net!jvnc.net!princeton!crux!roger
- From: roger@crux.Princeton.EDU (Roger Lustig)
- Subject: Re: quite unique
- Message-ID: <1992Nov20.041121.22927@Princeton.EDU>
- Originator: news@nimaster
- Sender: news@Princeton.EDU (USENET News System)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: crux.princeton.edu
- Reply-To: roger@astro.princeton.edu (Roger Lustig)
- Organization: Princeton University
- References: <1992Nov17.163733.4389@Princeton.EDU> <28361@castle.ed.ac.uk> <1992Nov19.183632.2410@bcrka451.bnr.ca>
- Distribution: alt
- Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 04:11:21 GMT
- Lines: 30
-
- In article <1992Nov19.183632.2410@bcrka451.bnr.ca> nadeau@bcarh1ab.bnr.ca (Rheal Nadeau) writes:
- >In article <28361@castle.ed.ac.uk> cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) writes:
-
- >>I meant publicity in the most general sense, i.e., including public
- >>usage, such as by the media, some of which are regarded as holding to
- >>an approved standard of good usage.
-
- >Well, some of the media uses phrases like "deja-vu all over again" and
- >"not-so-great superstars". (OK, these are typical of sports broadcasts,
- >but that's still part of the media. In fact, such broadcasts have much
- >broader audiences than anything one could consider "an approved standard
- >of good usage" - does this make them a greater authority on language?
- >This is, after all, "usage" . . .)
-
- Yes, of course -- this is a certain *kind* of usage. It's a public, but
- informal way of speaking, one that's full of irony and witticism. "It's
- deja vu all over again" is an alleged Yogi-ism, but one that reminds one
- (with a laugh) of what deja vu is; "not-so-great superstars" is an
- oxymoron, a standard rhetorical figure for three millennia. In formal
- American usage, one might shy away from this sort of thing, or at least
- keep it down, but broadcast journalism intends to be entertaining (as
- though you hadn't noticed) and thus uses certain figures and stock phrases
- -- two examples of which you supply.
-
-
- Roger
- >
- >The Rhealist - Rheal Nadeau - nadeau@bnr.ca - Speaking only for myself
-
-
-