• Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    Irregardless, if a word shifts spelling or meaning like this and is generally understood, even if initially by mistake, than it becomes becomes another correct meaning too. Like, literally.

    • somePotato
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      1 year ago

      I will never stop being mad that “literally” got a new dictionary definition that’s literally not literally

      • Ranvier@sopuli.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Maybe it would help if you knew there were more? Or maybe that would make it feel worse, but there are more. It’s a pretty common pattern in language for some reason, called “contronyms.” So literally can mean actually or figuratively, but others include clip (cut off or attach), oversight (to overlook, or to scrutinize closely), sanction (approve something or penalize it), or even fast (moving quickly or still, as in held fast). Context is key, people will adapt as meanings are ever shifting.

          • arandomthought
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            1 year ago

            In writing, yes. But when spoken the emphasis is different. If the “fahren” is stressed, then you are driving around something (umFAHren). If the “um” is stressed (UMfahren), then you are talking about property damage or murder.

      • ImFresh3x
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        1 year ago

        https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/the-300-year-history-of-using-literally-figuratively.html

        The fact that most people understand people are being literally figurative is proof that the word is working linguistically. It’s easy to understand in context which use is being intended, and always has been. The fact that people are bothered by it is the new annoying phenomenon.

        Pendants should read books, just once, or twice, at least.

        • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          That, and then you have my 6-year old who uses “literally” to emphasize his statements. It’s pretty funny to listen for that word at my house. It becomes a game of

          Is it Literal?

          Is it figurative?

          Is it exaggerated?

          • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            In the car with my friend and his mom we used to play 20 questions. Over the years we just kept picking weirder and weirder shit. Like “the end of WW1” or “Freddy Mercury’s mustache’s leftmost whisker” or “this round of 20 questions that we are playing right now”.

            This went on from when we were like 6 to maybe 20. I think it’s where I learned respect for the precise meaning of words. We’d always try to look for the tiniest excuse to give a misleading but technically true answer, like he might ask “Is it a type of animal?” and the answer was his dog, which is “an animal” and not “a type of animal”, so I’d say no.

            We got really good at ferreting each other out on stuff like that.

            It’s a fun road trip game and it exercises your kid’s mind. Highly recommended.

      • FlaminGoku@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        Words matter. Think about life before and after the dictionary definition change.

        Changing literally to figuratively broke reality.

        It was changed September 2011.

    • Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Factoid

      A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition.

      After I heard even Sam Harris misuse this word I just accepted it is now a synonym for a fact despite that the original meaning is the exact opposite.

        • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I’d say definitions are “unverified” given there’s no definition of true or false for one. By the commutative property of isness, that means definitions are factoids and we can eliminate one of the words.

          See? We’re making plusforward here. Red commits are better than green commits. That oughta be the first definition in the dictionary imo.

      • Perfide@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        You could almost say the evolving definition of factoid is in of itself an example of the original definition of a factoid.

      • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Some words are poorly designed and IMO that’s one of them. Sure, you can just make up words and give them whatever meaning you want, but it won’t work so well if the word itself causes a bias of assumption towards another meaning, especially if it’s the opposite of what you want it to mean.

        Just like inflammable. “In” used in that context usually means “not”. Whoever decided that it should mean “very” in this one case was IMO a bigger idiot than anyone who assumed it’s opposite meaning afterwards. Either that or an asshole if it was deliberate.

    • AdmiralShat@programming.dev
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      1 year ago

      I’ve been saying this since I watched a video on the history of dictionaries in elementary school (I heard that the I before e except after c rule was made by a guy trying to discredit Shakespeare and got interested)

      I’m so glad I’ve been seeing this type of stuff on lemmy. It’s refreshing to see people actually understand that these are just recordings of words and how they’re spelt and pronounced (with bias and purposeful edits) rather than an actual hard line in the sand.

      Edit: holy fucking shit I can’t type

      • zepheriths@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The dictionary doesn’t claim to be the standard. Also no one has the dictionary you have an abridged version. Because the real one if massive

  • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 year ago

    i feel like everyone like this eventually ends up realizing that prescriptivism is silly and language changing is not something that can even be slowed down, it’s like trying to stop fish from evolving

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      I feel like some of it is worth fighting. Like “literally” being almost useless because it means one thing and also it’s inverse. You now have to specify which one you mean when using it, which negates the point of using it at all. You might as well describe which concept you mean instead.

      • Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        English makes no sense to begin with. Why do you park in the driveway but drive in the parkway? Why is infinite the opposite of finite but flammable and inflammable are synonymous? Why is the plural of louse lice, the plural of mouse mice, but the plural of house is not hice?

        • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Who cares?

          Definitions are useful, and their usefulness is in proportion to their stability over time.

      • bitwaba@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I’d argue that literally isn’t changing definitions. It still means literally. It’s just that the most common usage of ‘literally’ is in a figurative or hyperbolic way. In fact, if the word DID change meaning to mean the opposite version, its usage would become much less meaningful since it’s usage in a figurative way is done to show extreme figurative to the point that it might as well be considered literal, e.g “literally the worst day of my life”

        • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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          1 year ago

          The fact I’ve felt the need to clarify I mean actually literally before shows that the definition is losing it’s purpose. Sure, sometimes it’s clear that it’s hyperbolic, but frequently there isn’t a good way to know what meaning is intended, especially if it’s online and/or you don’t know their person speaking and their tendencies.

      • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Exactly. Moving definitions around makes us lose meaning. Not only in our ability to articulate now, but also to understand what people said in the past.

    • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Yes I know I’m saying polite words in an extremely unpleasant tone. No, I can’t control it right now, or rather I’m controlling it as much as I can. Yes, I know you don’t believe me because it’s not that way for you. Yes this sucks.

        • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          People straight up don’t believe that tone can be anything but a deliberate decision, so they interpret any unpleasant tone as an insult. It sucks so much.

  • ALostInquirer@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Anyone else wonder how some folks will say language sometimes changes related to people speaking lazily, but then you get words changing meaning/emerging with extra syllables like “irregardless” or “disorientated”?

    When posts like this pop up, it makes me wonder 'bout those extra syllable words, “So how’s that happen, then?”

  • 31415926535@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Me: I understand but don’t get why…

    Therapist: And. You understand AND don’t get why…

    • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      There are no buts in therapy. Only faces and words. Insisting there are any buts in this room gets you committed.

      Remember: (points at poster)

      No IFs, ANDs, or BUTs.

      Only the truth ❤️

      Safe Space Version 3.11 — Safe Space for Workgroups

      Word filtering is ACTIVE