Groups > comp.lang.python > #19439

Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed!

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From	Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com>
Date	2012-01-25 14:45 -0700
Subject	Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed!
Newsgroups	comp.lang.python
Message-ID	<mailman.5097.1327527977.27778.python-list@python.org> (permalink)

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On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 1:14 PM, Rick Johnson
<rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> wrote:
> Wow, why i am not surprised! Let's pick one usage at random and try to
> understand it. "I think XYZ is pretty easy." You don't even need
> "pretty" to get your point across. You could simply say "I think XYZ
> is easy".

But "easy" and "pretty easy" mean two different things.  "Pretty easy"
is generally understood to be not quite as easy as just "easy".

> Furthermore, if you insist on QUANTIFYING a QUANTIFIER,

"Easy" is not a quantifier, so your talk of quantifying quantifiers
makes no sense.

> simply use any number of legal QUANTIFIERS. "I think XYZ is VERY easy"
> or "I think XYZ is SOMEWHAT easy" or "I think XYZ is difficult".

Now, don't be ridiculous.  Obviously, the One True Meaning of "very"
is "precise" or "particular", as in "That is the very thing I was
looking for".  This in turn is derived from the archaic meaning
"true", as in "the very God", which ultimately comes from Latin.  You
can't argue with Latin, and you can't just go around using "very" as
an adverb.  It doesn't even end in "ly"!

In all seriousness, the idea that "very" and "somewhat" are somehow
better in this context than "pretty" just because "pretty" has another
meaning in other contexts is flatly ridiculous.  The editors at
dictionary.com disagree with you too:

"""
Usage Note
The qualifying adverb pretty,  meaning “fairly or moderately” has been
in general use since the late 16th century. Although most common in
informal speech and writing, it is far from restricted to them, and
often is less stilted than alternatives such as relatively,
moderately,  and quite.
"""

Not that dictionary.com is the final authority on the English
language, but I'll but a lot more stock in what they say than in a
random internet troll.

Cheers,
Ian

Thread

The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 21:57 -0800
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-24 06:06 +0000
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Benedict Verheyen <benedict.verheyen@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 16:43 +0100
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Evan Driscoll <edriscoll@wisc.edu> - 2012-01-24 00:05 -0600
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 22:50 -0800
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 17:41 +1100
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-24 13:46 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 00:49 -0600
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 23:53 -0700
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 17:59 +1100
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Jérôme <jerome@jolimont.fr> - 2012-01-24 09:21 +0100
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-24 16:25 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! "Martin P. Hellwig" <martin.hellwig@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 14:05 +0000
    RE: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rob Richardson <RDRichardson@rad-con.com> - 2012-01-24 14:54 +0000
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! J <dreadpiratejeff@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 09:51 -0500
      Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! "Martin P. Hellwig" <martin.hellwig@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 16:26 +0000
        Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 03:41 +1100
        Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Blockheads Oi Oi <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-24 17:21 +0000
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2012-01-25 00:01 -0500
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Andrea Crotti <andrea.crotti.0@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 15:46 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Blockheads Oi Oi <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-24 17:25 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Blockheads Oi Oi <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-24 21:13 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 08:20 +1100
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Blockheads Oi Oi <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-24 21:26 +0000
  RE: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviours exposed! Phil Runciman <philr@aspexconsulting.co.nz> - 2012-01-25 13:32 +1300
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 16:43 -0800
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 22:49 -0700
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2012-01-24 22:55 -0700
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2012-01-25 19:50 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviours exposed! Blockheads Oi Oi <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2012-01-25 01:38 +0000
  Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! K Richard Pixley <rich@noir.com> - 2012-01-25 09:26 -0800
    Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 12:14 -0800
      Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2012-01-25 20:32 +0000
      Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 14:45 -0700
        Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 15:23 -0800
          Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 17:20 -0700
            Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 17:00 -0800
              Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 19:02 -0700
                Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 19:01 -0800
                Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-26 14:57 +1100
          Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Jugurtha Hadjar <jugurtha.hadjar@gmail.com> - 2012-01-26 01:28 +0100
            Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Rick Johnson <rantingrickjohnson@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 17:34 -0800
          Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! John O'Hagan <research@johnohagan.com> - 2012-01-26 11:37 +1100
          Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-26 05:14 +0000
            Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-26 16:19 +1100
            Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2012-01-25 21:25 -0800
              Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-26 00:51 -0700
            Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Emile van Sebille <emile@fenx.com> - 2012-01-27 09:06 -0800
              Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-27 19:42 +0000
      Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-26 00:53 +0000
        Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-01-26 16:31 -0800
      Re: The devolution of English language and slothful c.l.p behaviors exposed! "K. Richard Pixley" <rich@noir.com> - 2012-01-25 16:55 -0800

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