Re: Towards a classification system for uses of the Private Use Area

From: David Starner (starner@okstate.edu)
Date: Mon Apr 29 2002 - 12:18:10 EDT


On Mon, Apr 29, 2002 at 04:29:57PM +0100, William Overington wrote:
> An interesting paradox concerning the Oxford English Dictionary is that many
> people regard it as stating what are the correct definitions of words. Yet
> the Oxford English Dictionary itself states something along the lines that
> it does not seek to say what are the correct definitions of words but simply
> reports the usages that people make of words. So, the system of what
> English words mean holds itself up by its bootstraps!

That's how languages work, with the rare exception of standardized
languages like French (and even then the exception is standard French,
not vulgar French.)
 
> Does the twenty volume Oxford
> English Dictionary tend to be available on the shelves of many public
> libraries in other parts of the world please?

Yes.

-- 
David Starner - starner@okstate.edu
"It's not a habit; it's cool; I feel alive. 
If you don't have it you're on the other side." 
- K's Choice (probably referring to the Internet)



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : Mon Apr 29 2002 - 13:04:23 EDT