I appreciate a good education.
All the best
Graeme.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mel Hocken [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 4:04 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [VFB] an�al�pha�bet�ic
Man!! English 101 and flyfishing in one easy lesson. What a concept.
Mel
Dan/Sal Wheaton wrote:
> Steve wrote:
>
> Who knew that I would be introduced to an English term that I have
never seen before and presumed that it was a misspelling, by a gent from
Sweden??
> Does that make me neoalphabetic?
> Steve Schalla
>
> Well, actually, it can't really be called an "English" term; it's a
variation on one of those Renaissance "inkhorn" words imported into the
language by one of them there academic types, usually with implications of
pretentiousness (though the real motive is often simply playfulness, as
here, by Soren). It did have legitimate roots in Greek ("not knowing one's
ABC's") and had its transliterated Latin counterpart, but isn't recorded in
(written) English until the 19th century. The OED properly identifies it as
"obscure" and "rare." But who knows? Maybe now, thanks to the VFB group, it
may, like, say, "antepenultimate," take on new life of its own as part of
the living language. (Sure beats the overused "clueless.")
>
> I suggest, Steve, that since you're obviously already quite literate, any
actual use of the word would make you, at worst, "neologistic."
>
> In case any of you have read even this far, I'll add only that Soren's
spelling is interesting in its use of "th" (incorrectly reflecting the Greek
theta rather than the original tau), which possibly suggests that he's,
hmmm, overeducated? But my thanks to him for a new acquisition.
> And as Byard might say, "Keep playin'."
> DanW
