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From: cjh@petsd.UUCP (Chris Henrich)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: literacy
Message-ID: <667@petsd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 14:03:16 EST
Article-I.D.: petsd.667
Posted: Wed Nov  6 14:03:16 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 06:16:20 EST
References: <747@cyb-eng.UUCP> <1900005@datacube.UUCP> <2260@iddic.UUCP> <670@stc-b.stc.UUCP> <2433@sdcrdcf.UUCP> <380@uwvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: cjh@petsd.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Organization: Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls, N.J.
Lines: 25
Summary: A whole nother example of sloppy hearing

[]
     According to linguists, the spoken language is the real
thing, and written language just bobs along in its wake.  That
may be just a statement of what the linguists prefer to study
- but here is an example of how it works.

     Mathematicians sometimes say or write "abuse of language"
to mean a questionable but understandable use of terms or
notations.  Hence the occasional "proof by abuse of language:
... "
     And now and then an undergraduate writes on a homework
set: "Proof by abusive language: ..."

     Unless you speak with unnatural slowness and distinction,
they sound the same.  And the mistake makes a kind of sense:
such proofs are regularly resorted to on net.politics,
net.origin, even net.religion.(gasp)christian.
Regards,
Chris

--
Full-Name:  Christopher J. Henrich
UUCP:       ..!(cornell | ariel | ukc | houxz)!vax135!petsd!cjh
US Mail:    MS 313; Perkin-Elmer; 106 Apple St; Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
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