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Nemesis
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Post by Nemesis on Aug 31, 2013 8:35:07 GMT -8
"No, it's precisely the same thing. it's just that such usage has been around for a long enough time that not only has it become an understood word for gay, but the assumed meaning in most contexts. A dictionary describes usage of the parlance it was written to describe. Right and wrong in the sense you are claiming are irrelevant as far as a dictionary complier is concerned."
Words sometimes get new meanings. Gay=homosexual is one of many examples. The difference is that gay=homosexual is accepted as correct. It exists in dictionaries. No one can possibly argue that using "gay" to mean "homosexual" is incorrect. The same cannot be said for Asian.
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Nemesis
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Post by Nemesis on Aug 31, 2013 8:37:02 GMT -8
Similarly, you have Australia (the country) and Australia (the continent). Both are correct. Both exists in dictionary. You can't say "using Australia to mean that continent isn't correct". The same does not apply for Asian.
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Nemesis
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Post by Nemesis on Aug 31, 2013 8:39:29 GMT -8
"In common parlance, Asia has become almost completely synonymous with the Far-East. It's not really fair to criticize her for such usage when it is the norm."
That was your original reply. People use it in a dumb way, ergo it is OK to use it in a dumb way. That enables ignorance and stupidity and it's a silly argument from the majority.
Next you'll tell me that making a little jab at someone who writes "you're mother is fat" or someone who doesn't know what "whom" is or someone who uses "Nazis" instead of "German soldiers" or "dark side of the Moon" is unfair, because most people do it.
Btw, I was not aware that there is an objective, measurable standard of fairness. You just used a more way pretentious way of saying "I don't like your comment".
I can reply to "that is unfair" with "that is fair" or even with "you're being unfair", because of the nature of that concept. Basically:
It's fun to see you try to phrase it like a real argument.
And, again, you're missing the "American word" part...
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Tlaloc
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Sleep Deprivation and Coffee |
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Post by Tlaloc on Aug 31, 2013 9:35:21 GMT -8
I would beg to differ by mere virtue that I actually had to defend the notion not too long ago that India and Sri Lanka are geographically in Asia. Because the fact simply is that the word asia is becoming (if not already has) become synonymous with the Sinosphere (in open context) Of course, most people are aware that Geographical Asia itself constitutes far more than the Sinosphere, (but that not what was talked about) just as most people are aware that the word gay did at one point describe contentment and not male homosexuality. But it's an irrelevant fact because in the end the reality is that words mean what the consensus determines them to mean. Give it time and Asia will just refer to the Sinosphere. Unless it's obvious you are talking about the geographical location itself.
This isn't a fair comparison. What constitutes as being in Asia is mostly arbitrary and has changed throughout the centuries. Hell, I'm seeing recent talk of Australia as effectively being in Asia. Is it? It depends on who you talk to. Australia on the other hand, is a concrete, definable landmass. The country of Australia, just so happens to bear the same name as the land mass it encompasses. Which conveniently happens to be the whole damn landmass.
Asia is a Geo-political concept. Australia is a well defined landmass/country and whichever you are talking about is obvious by context.
Firstly, "you're" is overwhelmingly understood as the contraction of "you are", so using it as a pronoun is justly stated to be incorrect at least as the mainstream standard of use is concerned. It's descriptively incorrect.
The who and whom is a little more complex. Modern English is largely an analytical language. Pronouns are the only class of nouns that still inflect for case, and even this is inconsistent "me and X went to the shop" is nonsensical from a strict prescriptivist stance. But of course, in actual reality it's perfectly sensical because we all know that meaning in English is derived by analytical constructions (syntax and prepositions) and not by nominal inflections. The declension of pronouns is a relic of an older language, not a functional system of creating any real meaning.
Knowing this, it's no surprise that we are seeing the small amount of declension still left falling out of use. Whom has almost completely fallen out of the spoken language, while like the subjunctive it still sees use in the written language, but this won't last forever. I would not call the omission of "whom" to be incorrect, because the reality is it's simply not actually used in the typical speech of the typical speaker in a typical situation. Now I may like the use of whom and the subjunctive, but I have to accept I'm not the arbitrator of correctness. Hell, and even I'm not consistent with it's use. Even in this post.
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Nemesis
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Post by Nemesis on Aug 31, 2013 9:44:18 GMT -8
"I would beg to differ by mere virtue that I actually had to defend the notion not too long ago that India and Sri Lanka are geographically in Asia. Because the fact simply is that the word asia is becoming (if not already has) become synonymous with the Sinosphere (in open context) Of course, most people are aware that Geographical Asia itself constitutes far more than the Sinosphere, (but that not what was talked about) just as most people are aware that the word gay did at one point describe contentment and not male homosexuality. But it's an irrelevant fact because in the end the reality is that words mean what the consensus determines them to mean. Give it time and Asia will just refer to the Sinosphere. Unless it's obvious you are talking about the geographical location itself." Maybe it will, but until then, they are wrong. "The country of Australia, just so happens to bear the same name as the land mass it encompasses" No, Australia (the continent) is bigger than Australia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_(continent)You are the 2nd Australian I told that in 2 days. For the rest, see the YT clip I previously linked.
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Tlaloc
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Sleep Deprivation and Coffee |
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Post by Tlaloc on Aug 31, 2013 10:03:05 GMT -8
I honestly didn't know that. Because I was taught that a continent is a continuous landmass. (Which is why I find it rather arbitrary Europe and Asia are considered separate continents, because they "aren't")
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Nemesis
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Post by Nemesis on Aug 31, 2013 11:08:15 GMT -8
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Alex Jones
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The Answer to 1984 is 1776 |
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Post by Alex Jones on Sept 1, 2013 12:13:30 GMT -8
Canadian...
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