Irregardless, if a word shifts spelling or meaning like this and is generally understood, even if initially by mistake, than it becomes becomes another correct meaning too. Like, literally.
I will never stop being mad that “literally” got a new dictionary definition that’s literally not literally
Words matter. Think about life before and after the dictionary definition change.
Changing literally to figuratively broke reality.
It was changed September 2011.
https://www.thecut.com/2018/01/the-300-year-history-of-using-literally-figuratively.html
The fact that most people understand people are being literally figurative is proof that the word is working linguistically. It’s easy to understand in context which use is being intended, and always has been. The fact that people are bothered by it is the new annoying phenomenon.
Pendants should read books, just once, or twice, at least.
That, and then you have my 6-year old who uses “literally” to emphasize his statements. It’s pretty funny to listen for that word at my house. It becomes a game of
Is it Literal?
Is it figurative?
Is it exaggerated?
Maybe it would help if you knew there were more? Or maybe that would make it feel worse, but there are more. It’s a pretty common pattern in language for some reason, called “contronyms.” So literally can mean actually or figuratively, but others include clip (cut off or attach), oversight (to overlook, or to scrutinize closely), sanction (approve something or penalize it), or even fast (moving quickly or still, as in held fast). Context is key, people will adapt as meanings are ever shifting.
or, my favorite, in German “umfahren”
can either mean “drive around”
or “run over”
Factoid
A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition.
After I heard even Sam Harris misuse this word I just accepted it is now a synonym for a fact despite that the original meaning is the exact opposite.
Some words are poorly designed and IMO that’s one of them. Sure, you can just make up words and give them whatever meaning you want, but it won’t work so well if the word itself causes a bias of assumption towards another meaning, especially if it’s the opposite of what you want it to mean.
Just like inflammable. “In” used in that context usually means “not”. Whoever decided that it should mean “very” in this one case was IMO a bigger idiot than anyone who assumed it’s opposite meaning afterwards. Either that or an asshole if it was deliberate.
Is such a fucking irony that factoid itself has become a factoid for “bit of trivia”
I’d say definitions are “unverified” given there’s no definition of true or false for one. By the commutative property of isness, that means definitions are factoids and we can eliminate one of the words.
See? We’re making plusforward here. Red commits are better than green commits. That oughta be the first definition in the dictionary imo.
You could almost say the evolving definition of factoid is in of itself an example of the original definition of a factoid.
The therapist should of known better in the first place
Yeah, and it’s better to be correct then to just leave them in their ignorance.
All of the little provocations throughout this thread have been enough to make me twich, but this is the one that pushed me over the edge. I’m this close to printing out your comment just so I can correct it!
Yes I know I’m saying polite words in an extremely unpleasant tone. No, I can’t control it right now, or rather I’m controlling it as much as I can. Yes, I know you don’t believe me because it’s not that way for you. Yes this sucks.
i feel like everyone like this eventually ends up realizing that prescriptivism is silly and language changing is not something that can even be slowed down, it’s like trying to stop fish from evolving
I feel like some of it is worth fighting. Like “literally” being almost useless because it means one thing and also it’s inverse. You now have to specify which one you mean when using it, which negates the point of using it at all. You might as well describe which concept you mean instead.
Exactly. Moving definitions around makes us lose meaning. Not only in our ability to articulate now, but also to understand what people said in the past.
well then i assume you’re going to start speaking latin? that’s the one language we have that doesn’t change.
I’d argue that literally isn’t changing definitions. It still means literally. It’s just that the most common usage of ‘literally’ is in a figurative or hyperbolic way. In fact, if the word DID change meaning to mean the opposite version, its usage would become much less meaningful since it’s usage in a figurative way is done to show extreme figurative to the point that it might as well be considered literal, e.g “literally the worst day of my life”
The fact I’ve felt the need to clarify I mean actually literally before shows that the definition is losing it’s purpose. Sure, sometimes it’s clear that it’s hyperbolic, but frequently there isn’t a good way to know what meaning is intended, especially if it’s online and/or you don’t know their person speaking and their tendencies.
English makes no sense to begin with. Why do you park in the driveway but drive in the parkway? Why is infinite the opposite of finite but flammable and inflammable are synonymous? Why is the plural of louse lice, the plural of mouse mice, but the plural of house is not hice?
Good God, you people completely miss the point of the meme. It’s just a joke and you all are treating it like a serious debate on the value of correcting other people’s grammar like that debate isn’t simply a smokescreen for bullies selfishly taking out their emotions on others as it always has been.
c/woosh
The dictionary is a collection of knowledge not an authority on language.
I’ve been saying this since I watched a video on the history of dictionaries in elementary school (I heard that the I before e except after c rule was made by a guy trying to discredit Shakespeare and got interested)
I’m so glad I’ve been seeing this type of stuff on lemmy. It’s refreshing to see people actually understand that these are just recordings of words and how they’re spelt and pronounced (with bias and purposeful edits) rather than an actual hard line in the sand.
Edit: holy fucking shit I can’t type
