English, as with any language still spoken, is dynamic. If a majority of
speakers of a language adopt a different use of a word, phrase or
construction in that language, the new use will become "correct" by default.
Most kinds of change in nature seem to be 'edge (or boundary) effects'.
Growth, decay, erosion--all occur most rapidly at or along edges. I don't
think it's different for many (indeed, most) of the things done by people.
Changes to language are most often made by those on the fringes--'edge
cases'--perhaps from lack of education, perhaps simply because it's fun to
do, perhaps because they know damn well that doing so tweaks the
'establishment' in a manner that can't be punished and often endures.
Sometimes a change catches on, and, eventually, that change is "officially"
incorporated by updates to dictionaries and style guides. But official
recognition is inherently backward-looking: by the time it occurs, most
speakers will already have made the shift.
On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 5:57 AM, Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> I have to carry on, and I can’t keep calm. <g>
>
> Truth be told, it bothers me every time I hear it, but it bothers me most
> when used by people who would know better. A specific example: On the show
> NCIS: Los Angeles, which Joan and I watched for a few seasons, the director
> of the LA detachment is an older woman, Henrietta “Hetty” Lange, played by
> the wonderful Linda Hunt. Hetty is preternaturally intelligent. Yet she’s
> always begging the question in the incorrect sense. Hetty is the kind of
> person who would know better. As should many news commentators,
> politicians, academics, etc., I hear misusing the phrase all the time. In
> fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone other than me and one or two of
> my English professors, use it correctly.
>
> Sigh.
>
> --Bob Whitmire
> Certified Neanderthal
>
> On Mar 1, 2015, at 3:08 AM, ChrisB <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > You carry on, Bob. Inappropriate use of that term has bothered me for
> years. And it's in frequent use by our politicians and commentators Over
> Here — worse luck.
> >
> > Chris
> >
> > C M I Barker | Gamlingay
> >
> >
> >> On 28 Feb 2015, at 21:53, Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> No! No! Arrrrggggggg! Improper use of begging the question. Begging the
> question refers to circular reasoning and stands alone. No question follows
> begging the question. All of this _raises_ some questions . . . etc.
> Wikipedia: Begging the question means “assuming the conclusion (of an
> argument)", a type of circular reasoning. This is an informal fallacy where
> the conclusion that one is attempting to prove is included in the initial
> premise of an argument, often in an indirect way that conceals this fact.
> >>
> >> Sorry. It’s my most persistent language neurosis. Chris B has his
> pluperfect and I have my begging questions. <g>
>
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