End of ADS-L Digest - 6 Oct 1994 to 7 Oct 1994

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There are 4 messages totalling 108 lines in this issue.



Topics of the day:



 1. Name that syntagm (2)

 2. Positive "don't care to"

 3. Phila. dialect



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Date:  Sat, 8 Oct 1994 12:40:31 RSA

From:  lynne <104LYN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WITSVMA.WITS.AC.ZA>

Subject: Re: Name that syntagm



>

>I've been looking for some time for a suitable name for words (or

>expressions) that mean both themselves and their opposites (literally,

>ravel, let, oversight -- see "A Literal Paradox" in _Declining Grammar_

>[Urbana: NCTE 1989], pp.. 73-80). I've never encountered positive "I don't

>care to" until this discussion, but now I'm sure I'll notice it a lot (I

>still remember hearing my first might could about a week after I learned

>about double modals years ago). Anyway, if you can name that syntagm, maybe

>ADS will give you a prize at the annual new words meeting (are you

>listening, Alan?).

>

>Dennis

>--

>Dennis Baron                       debaron[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uiuc.edu



i don't think this is what you're looking for, dennis, but there is the

term "Janus word" for a single term that expresses opposite concepts.

e.g., "temper" can mean 'to harden' or 'to soften'.



however, i don't think the overuse of 'literally' qualifies it for this

title.



lynne murphy

university of the witwatersrand