> At 16:36 03-10-2002 -0500, Dan Minette wrote: > > >Let me get this straight. English is a second language for you and you are > >claiming that the definitive source of English (OED) is wrong and you are > >right in defining an English word?
"J. van Baardwijk" wrote: > > I am applying this horrible little thing called logic here. If X = Y, than > -X = -Y. The fact that a lot of people accept that X = Y but at the same > time believe that -X = -0.5Y does not make their interpretation valid. But your case is flawed as well, Jeroen. You assume that the "anti" in "anti-semite" means "the opposite of" or "the negative form of", when in reality it means "denial of" or "enemy of" or "someone who is against" The truth is that words mean whatever they are commonly believed to mean, and that can change over time. The important thing is to make sure that all parties are working with the same set of definitions. -- Matt _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
