Comments on: June 2012 Issue http://www.word-detective.com/2012/06/june-2012-issue/ Semper Ubi Sub Ubi Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:32:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: admin http://www.word-detective.com/2012/06/june-2012-issue/comment-page-1/#comment-40339 admin Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:06:16 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=7804#comment-40339 Given that she misunderstood the basic categories she was employing (conflating the two kinds of rules) and consequently mis-characterizing the views of people she was criticizing, yes. She was not merely missing some finer points; she was confusing the Lone Ranger with Tonto. Her review was delusional; she was writing while laboring under a fundamental misunderstanding of "who, what, when, where and why." So, using "grasp" in the established metaphorical sense of "general understanding," I think "literally" is appropriate. updated: <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=2yJusP0vrdgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=merriam+usage&hl=en&ei=guR7Tq3gFM7dgQeJ19zZAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=literally&f=true" title="Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage on "literally"</a> (click the first result shown) plus <a href="http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002611.html" rel="nofollow">this post from Language Log</a> and, of course, <a href="http://xkcd.com/725/" title="Literally" rel="nofollow">the classic xkcd.</a> (not to be taken personally, of course). Given that she misunderstood the basic categories she was employing (conflating the two kinds of rules) and consequently mis-characterizing the views of people she was criticizing, yes. She was not merely missing some finer points; she was confusing the Lone Ranger with Tonto. Her review was delusional; she was writing while laboring under a fundamental misunderstanding of “who, what, when, where and why.” So, using “grasp” in the established metaphorical sense of “general understanding,” I think “literally” is appropriate.

updated: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage on “literally” (click the first result shown)

plus this post from Language Log

and, of course, the classic xkcd. (not to be taken personally, of course).

]]> By: Anders Lotsson http://www.word-detective.com/2012/06/june-2012-issue/comment-page-1/#comment-40301 Anders Lotsson Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:23:41 +0000 http://www.word-detective.com/?p=7804#comment-40301 " literally no grasp whatsoever" - literally?? ” literally no grasp whatsoever” – literally??

]]>