New column-type thingy

[Jonathon]

I don't think I've ever seen that before either.

[Jonathon]

One of my coworkers just said that she finally got around to reading my post and found it entertaining. So maybe the others just hadn't read it yet?

[Jonathon]

The "Only" Comma, pt. 1

[rivka]

Interesting! I'm not sure I had even known of the rule before you mentioned it here in reference to the cartoon.

Also,

Even though my utterance has the form of a yes-or-no question, you’d only answer “Yes, I know what time it is” if you were trying to be a smart alec.

Or if you were on the autism spectrum. This sort of question is legitimately difficult for those who are. My son is both on the spectrum and a smart alec, so . . . .

(And I think you are missing a closing quotation mark at the end of the dog-whistle paragraph.)

[Jonathon]

Thanks, Rivka! As with so many things that editors do, I think we assume we're helping the reader, while our readers are completely oblivious.

The autism spectrum question actually crossed my mind, but it felt like too much of a sidetrack in what was already a long post.

(And thanks for catching the missing quotation mark.)

[rivka]

As with so many things that editors do, I think we assume we're helping the reader, while our readers are completely oblivious.

Yeah. You know I'm entirely sympathetic to that view, and in fact push for following various accepted rules/standards in both my jobs (and just in general). But if almost no laypeople know about a rule, it's hard to have its usage communicate anything to them.

The autism spectrum question actually crossed my mind, but it felt like too much of a sidetrack in what was already a long post.

That's fair.

(And thanks for catching the missing quotation mark.)

[Dobie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIyAUR87aVU&t=30m37s

[Jonathon]

I will admit that the language of lawyers often exists in its own world.

[Jonathon]

Also,

Even though my utterance has the form of a yes-or-no question, you’d only answer “Yes, I know what time it is” if you were trying to be a smart alec.

Or if you were on the autism spectrum. This sort of question is legitimately difficult for those who are. My son is both on the spectrum and a smart alec, so . . . .

By the way, I changed it to "Even though my utterance has the form of a yes-or-no question, you’d probably only answer “Yes, I know what time it is” if you were trying to be a smart alec" just to leave wiggle room for things like that.

[rivka]

 

[Jonathon]

Umlauts, Diaereses, and the New Yorker

[rivka]

Nöw yöu knöw.

AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhh! My eyes, my eyes!

[Jonathon]

"Right, Wrong, and Relative"

[rivka]

Nobody hired us to preserve the language.

Oh. Hmm.

Well, can we?

[Jonathon]

I mean, you can hire me, but it won't actually preserve the language.

[rivka]

Darn!

[Jonathon]

My first new post in *cough* a little while: "What I Learned from Teaching Editing"

[rivka]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[Jonathon]

Thanks, Rivka. I have some non-language-related thoughts about teaching—especially teaching during a pandemic—but maybe I'll start a new thread for those.

[Jonathon]

I Am Begging You to Learn How Dictionaries Work

[Tante Shvester]

My son told me the other day that he would like to say "Mark my words!" and then have someone named Mark hand him a dictionary, so that he could then say, "Thank you, Mark."

(Kind of like how whenever Picard said "Fire at will!" I was hoping Worf would shoot at Riker.)

[rivka]

I Am Begging You to Learn How Dictionaries Work

I have seen some articles arguing about whether certain words should be included based on whether they are ever used in published (for some definition of "published") work. That at least seems like a reasonable question, although the articles' merit varies. But going by whether one particular individual recognizes a word? What an odd and capricious metric.

And I was also among the kids who was told "go look it up". My kids try to get me to "just tell me!" when I say that, though. And if I respond with "Do I look like a dictionary?", you can guess their usual response.

[Jonathon]

I Am Begging You to Learn How Dictionaries Work

I have seen some articles arguing about whether certain words should be included based on whether they are ever used in published (for some definition of "published") work. That at least seems like a reasonable question, although the articles' merit varies. But going by whether one particular individual recognizes a word? What an odd and capricious metric.

Yeah, that's certainly a reasonable question, especially since the notion of what's considered "published" has become much fuzzier with the internet. Is an online news site published? What about a blog? What about a tweet?

And I was also among the kids who was told "go look it up". My kids try to get me to "just tell me!" when I say that, though. And if I respond with "Do I look like a dictionary?", you can guess their usual response.

 

[Ela]

I Am Begging You to Learn How Dictionaries Work

Enjoyed the article. And you're right that the words she didn't know have nothing to do with her age. For the record, the only word you mentioned that I'm not familiar with is teraflop.

[rivka]

For the record, the only word you mentioned that I'm not familiar with is teraflop.

Interesting. It's the only one of them I hear regularly, although I had heard of at least a couple of the others.