Pesky 18th Century
“Transpire,” or “transpired.”
Meaning: To become known, as in “It did not transpire until the next day that McClellan had actually been defeated.”
Misuse: To happen, as in “What transpired there between Lee and McClellan is not yet known.”
True, Merriam-Webster, as with “comprise,” says that because the incorrect meaning has been in use since the 18th century, it’s all good. But why should meanings that come into use through misuse gain legitimacy solely on that basis, even if they are perpetrated by leading lights like Abigail Adams? On that basis, the apostrophe’s torturous misuse in phrases like “She went to see the Sheldon’s” will soon be completely okay. Which would be a multitude of shame’s.
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I, for one, favor giving these misused words legitimacy. The old rules are not workable and enforceable. We’ve certainly proved that over the past 200 years.
Keep in mind that these misused words do the jobs that American words simply won’t do.
In France, they strictly enforce the purity of their language. They’ve got huge problems in France. They have tremendous problems. The police can’t even go into certain areas in the suburbs of Paris. I don’t want that in the suburbs of America.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating linguistic amnesty. I just think we should let these words in and sort them out later.
Warmest regards,
John McCain
Comment by Daddyman — January 31, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
Because ultimately, there is no “right” or “wrong” language. Language is fundamentally amoral. If enough people “misuse” a term, while too few use it “properly,” then it’s only a matter of time before the “wrong” meaning becomes the right one, and the “right” meaning becomes the archaic one.
Comment by Xrlq — February 8, 2008 @ 3:20 pm
I knooooow … I bitterly dislike that process. Meaning through ignorance. Catch it!
Comment by Anwyn — February 8, 2008 @ 3:25 pm