Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: A serious but strange short survey


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Posted by Chuck(G) on September 02, 2002 at 10:18:41:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: A serious but strange short survey posted by Rick Denney on September 01, 2002 at 23:41:33:

Dictionaries are usually miserably behind the times in reporting current usage. If you can, go find a 40 year-old Webster's and look for "algorithm" and "parse". I like legal definitions because (a) they have solid and real consequences (b) they're the result of a real struggle to stay current (crooks don't wait for the newest edition of a a dictionary).

So, relying on a dictionary definition for "photograph" in the light (forgive me) of modern electronic techniques is a bit of a fool's errand, it seems to me. If hauled before a federal court on a copyright violation, your pointing out the dictionary definition of "photograph" would carry exacty zero weight with the court.

Philologists when including a word have the luxury of hanging out until they're reasonably certain that new meaning has been added to a word. I don't need to tell you of the complete failure of dictionaries to record current meanings of words and phrases as used by young people. And they're perfectly awful when it comes to recording current invective.


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