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  • From: James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>
  • To: David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] b-hebrew Uncancellable meaning and Hebrew verbs
  • Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:51:53 +0100

Hi David,

I don't know if you realise it or not. But with the analysis of the uses of plod in Australian and English variants of English you have shown that you do not disagree with their having an uncancellable meaning. But rather that you disagree with what that uncancellable meaning is.

Of course, as we have already agreed. Everything can ultimately be cancelled. We just need to make a new usage and get enough people to use the word in the new way and we've cancelled the meaning. But as Karl has already pointed out I don't think Rolf was ever suggesting that languages do not evolve in this way. He was analysing a very specific snapshot of the language.

James Christian

Quoting David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>:

Hi James,

Hi David,

I believe this has already been demonstrated to you. It's all a case of
relativity. If we say somebody runs quickly we expect their run pace to
be above average run pace. When we imagine somebody plodding quickly we
expect the plod pace to be quicker than average but still somewhat
slower than average walking pace. Your use of the word 'quickly' does
not mean that the person was moving quickly. It just means that their
plod pace was quicker than average.

James, I've already told you that the use in Australian English has no
contextual relativity implied. Sure, "plod" has been chosen because the
meaning of the word is suitable to designate "walking" vis-a-vis
"running". But the use I'm referring to can also be used of running.
Probably not sprinting, but running would be acceptable. The use has to
with heaviness or sound, not slowness. And like I already stated, it is
quite difficult to see how "slow" is the pure uncancellable semantics of
the word in any case -- as if "plod" means "slow". It does not. It means
"laborious walking" or "doing action indicated by adjunct phrase slowly"
or "heavy walking".

Regards,
David Kummerow.
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