Aihuxi.105 net.general utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!mhtsa!ihnss!ihuxi!otto Tue Mar 23 00:34:29 1982 Bad English I have always found this little section amusing. I think it shows what can happen when one succumbs to the temptation to wax sacerdotal when it comes to telling others what is good English and what is not. "At this point it may be well to clear the ground by collecting a small number of the words that may be accused of being hybrids in either of the senses explained above--i.e. as made of heterogeneous elements, elements put together in an alien fashion:--*amoral, amusive, backwardation, bi-daily, bureaucracy, cablegram, climactic, coastal, colouration, dandiacal, floatation, funniment, gullible, impedance, pacifist, racial, sendee, speedometer*. An ill-favoured list, of which all readers will condemn some, & some all. It will not be possible here to lay down rules for word-formation, which is a complicated business; but a few remarks on some of the above words may perhaps instil caution, & a conviction that word-making, like other manufactures, should be done by those who know how to do it; others should neither attempt it for themselves, nor assist the deplorable activities of amateurs by giving currency to fresh coinages before there has been time to test them." H.W. Fowler, "Modern English Usage" ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.