>Function is not everything; if I say "I will decision the
>problem" I have in essence created a verbal that doesn't exist and
>have violated the grammatical form of the noun "decision." Does
>that mean that "decision" is no longer a noun and has become a
>verb? I don't think so.
In my lifetime I've observed several such transformations in meaning.
The word ``source'' was always used as a noun when I was young, it is
now often used as a verb. Then I first started hearing it being
used as a verb some twenty years ago, it sounded strange, it no
longer does. Although your phrase "I will decision the problem"
sounds a bit peculiar, decision is a verb here. Who knows, you may
be starting a trend and in 20 years time it will common to hear
people say, ``I need you to decision that.'' Some words function as
both verbs and nouns. ``Surface'' is one. In the sentence - The
frying pan has a non-stick surface. - it is a noun. In the sentence -
Order the submarine to surface. - is a a verb.
Bill Rea, Information Technology Dept., Canterbury University \_
E-Mail b dot rea at it dot canterbury dot ac dot nz </ New
Phone 64-3-364-2331, Fax 64-3-364-2332 /) Zealand
Unix Systems Administrator (/'
Re: _)aSHER_ in Ex. 3:14 (was "I AM")
, (continued)