ISBN: 9781458953490

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustra… Meer...

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1899 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V MISUSED WORDS The right use of words is not a matter to be left to pedants and pedagogues. It belongs to the daily life of every man. The misuse of words confuses ideas, and impairs the value of language as a medium of communication. Hence loss of time, of money, and sore trial of patience. It is significant that we call a quarrel a misunderstanding. How many lawsuits have ruined both plaintiff and defendant, how many business connections have been severed, how many friendships broken, because two men gave to one word different meanings! The power of language to convey one man''s thoughts and purposes to another, is in direct proportion to a common consent as to the meaning of words. The moment divergence begins, the value of language is impaired; and it is impaired just in proportion to the divergence, or to the uncertainty of consent. It has been told, as evidence of the richness of certain Eastern languages, that they have one thousand words, more or less, for the sword, and at least one hundred for the horse. But this, unless the people who use these languages have a thousand kind of swords and a hundred kinds of horses, is no proof of wealth in that which makes the real worth of language. A highly civilized and cultivated people having a language adequate to their wants will be rich in words, because they will need names for many thoughts, and many acts, and many things. Parsimony in this respect is a sign, not of prudence, hut of poverty. Juliana, passing her honeymoon in the cottage to which her ducal bridegroom leads her, flouts his assurance that the furniture is useful, with the reply, conveying a sneer at his supposed poverty, Exceeding useful; there''s not a piece on''t but serves twenty purposes. So, when we find in a language one wor... Richard Grant White, Books, Reference and Language, Words And Their Uses, Past And Present; A Study Of The English Language Books>Reference and Language This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Houghton Mifflin Co. in 1899 in 466 pages; Subjects: English language; Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language; History / General; Language Arts & Disciplines / General; Language Arts & Disciplines / Grammar; Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics; Language Arts & Disciplines / Rhetoric; Language Arts & Disciplines / Etymology; Reference / Dictionaries;<

ISBN: 9781458953490

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustra… Meer...

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1899 Excerpt: ... CHAPTER V MISUSED WORDS The right use of words is not a matter to be left to pedants and pedagogues. It belongs to the daily life of every man. The misuse of words confuses ideas, and impairs the value of language as a medium of communication. Hence loss of time, of money, and sore trial of patience. It is significant that we call a quarrel a misunderstanding. How many lawsuits have ruined both plaintiff and defendant, how many business connections have been severed, how many friendships broken, because two men gave to one word different meanings! The power of language to convey one man''s thoughts and purposes to another, is in direct proportion to a common consent as to the meaning of words. The moment divergence begins, the value of language is impaired; and it is impaired just in proportion to the divergence, or to the uncertainty of consent. It has been told, as evidence of the richness of certain Eastern languages, that they have one thousand words, more or less, for the sword, and at least one hundred for the horse. But this, unless the people who use these languages have a thousand kind of swords and a hundred kinds of horses, is no proof of wealth in that which makes the real worth of language. A highly civilized and cultivated people having a language adequate to their wants will be rich in words, because they will need names for many thoughts, and many acts, and many things. Parsimony in this respect is a sign, not of prudence, hut of poverty. Juliana, passing her honeymoon in the cottage to which her ducal bridegroom leads her, flouts his assurance that the furniture is useful, with the reply, conveying a sneer at his supposed poverty, Exceeding useful; there''s not a piece on''t but serves twenty purposes. So, when we find in a language one wor... Richard Grant White, Books, Reference and Language, Words And Their Uses, Past And Present; A Study Of The English Language Books>Reference and Language, General Books LLC<