• MudMan@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      27 days ago

      Since we’ve all had to rework any word referencing Twitter for obvious reasons, I suppose.

      “Posting” is fine, all the dumb “toots” and “skeets” are not. If you’re trying to salvage “vaguetweeting” I suppose that is a semi-reasonable outcome. I don’t think it works quite as well for subtweeting, though.

    • hakase@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      27 days ago

      “Edit” and “access” also weren’t originally verbs. Same with “babysit” and “eavesdrop”. Backformation and category changing are common and perfectly natural processes in English.

      Edit: This isn’t directed at the OP of this comment chain, but I’m always surprised by the crazy amount of ignorant prescriptivism I see all over Lemmy. Like, I expected that shit on Reddit, but I thought we were better than that here, especially since literally the only real reason for prescriptivism is sowing class division and excluding people for not having access to the secret knowledge of “correct” (yuck!) grammar.

        • shneancy@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          27 days ago

          verbing a word that isn’t commonly verbed? that’s the main thing i love in the English langauge, the flexibility to fuck around with it and still be understood by others without having to explain what you’re doing

        • hakase@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          27 days ago

          From your biased, subjective point of view that has nothing to do with the objective facts of language, maybe.

          • FooBarrington@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            27 days ago

            Objectively, any words with more than two vocals in succession is dumb and only meant for cheating at Scrabble, objectively

        • hakase@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          25 days ago

          Nope, I can do this all day. Other fun examples of backformation off the top of my head are: “to burgle” from “burglar” (which the Brits still get mad about (note: this is incorrect, see conversation below)), originally from the Latin agent noun burglator from the verb burgare; and “cherry”, backformed from Old French cerise, which was reinterpreted as a plural (even though it wasn’t one), and then a new singular form was backformed. The same thing happened to “pea” (though that’s a native English word) - you can still see the original “pease” in the old nursery rhyme: “Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in a pot nine days old”.

          • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            27 days ago

            I was making a joke with a modern example of a noun being verbified, but thank you for your insight.

            • hakase@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              edit-2
              27 days ago

              Oh wow, I’m feeling very whooshed at the moment. Sorry about that.

    • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      27 days ago

      ‘vagueing abt me being ableist’

      ‘implying i was ableist’

      There, translated.

      Oh look, proper english is more direct and succinct!

      Guess the tumblr user likes vagueing as well.