This guy is saying it is wrong for me to use the word unethical or to use the word "ethical" to mean "ethically correct": Is he right? I showed him Google's definition of the word "ethical" and he said it was wrong and he is using etymology so he is correct. >.>
Your friend is a nitpicker. Word definitions can be described or prescibed. Most dictionary people have long since opted for description, not prescription.
I can't imagine how small and cheap this fellow's dictionary must be, to have such a limited list of definitions. Dictionary.com (which is free!) lists, as the second definition of "ethical": 2. being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession: It was not considered ethical for physicians to advertise. Your friend is simply wrong. And, of course, the problem with having a fetish for long-winded writing is that it provides more opportunity for typographical errors, such as "condemable." Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Fraggle Rocker Moderator Linguistics
Which seems to be one reason that people can't think well or communicate well anymore. Folks don't know what they are thinking, the thought units are a jumble.
I don't have that problem. Do you? The Nazis were famous for their prescriptive dictionaries. It was essentially illegal to import a foreign word; no editor or publisher would let it pass for fear of punishment. Since German is a highly synthetic language that easily builds compound words, this worked for them. The down side is that they don't use words that are virtually international in Europe: they say Kraftwagen (power wagon) instead of "automobile" (self-moving) and Fernsprecher (distant speaker) instead of "telephone" (distant speaker). It stands to reason that you'll have a more expressive, adaptable language if you allow your entire population to coin words, instead of a panel of "experts." Sure, we end up with words like "twerk," but we also get "fuel-efficient" and "labor-intensive."
Alright. He is saying that I took his words out of context: THIS is the context and what we are arguing about: He said the following: I mistook what he was saying as, "this is an actual good position to take[...]". When he meant was, "this is an actual position to do with ethics to take[...]". The crux of our argument is that now I told him that you can take it both ways, and he told me, no, there is only one meaning that word can take on within the above context. Now I just want to ask you guys, do you believe there is only one way to take this, or 2 different ways (or more)? Thanks a bunch.
