From: utzoo!decvax!wivax!linus!genradbo!mitccc!svw
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Words fraught with meaning
Article-I.D.: mitccc.412
Posted: Wed Mar  2 17:28:03 1983
Received: Tue Mar  8 01:09:40 1983

Y'ever notice that....  (grumble. start over.)

Y'ever notice that some words that are supposed to be neutral are commonly
given all sorts of connotations? For instance, "ilk". I think "ilk"
is only supposed to mean "type" or "category", but most often it would
seem to mean "particular kind of stupidity," as in "the National
Enquirer and its ilk." [quoted from net.philosophy article on
psychic phenomena].  Has anyone ever seen this word used in an
apparently non-negative context?

Another example is "mentality", which is obviously a synonym for
"delusional insanity". E.g.: military mentality (spoken by flaming 
pacifists). What do you suppose the chances are that someone who speaks
about "the vegetarian mentality" subscribes to the Vegetarian Times?
Pretty slim, I think.

Any comments or other examples?

 				Crown Prince Burton
				Member of the Usenet Ilk.