[ SECRET POST #1876 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #1876 ⌋


Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



__________________________________________________

02.


__________________________________________________

03.


__________________________________________________

04.


__________________________________________________

05.


__________________________________________________

06.


__________________________________________________

07.


__________________________________________________

08. [repeat]


__________________________________________________

09.


__________________________________________________

10.


__________________________________________________

11.


__________________________________________________

12.


__________________________________________________

13.


__________________________________________________

14.


__________________________________________________

15.


__________________________________________________

16.


__________________________________________________

17.


__________________________________________________

18.


__________________________________________________

19.


__________________________________________________

20.


__________________________________________________

21.


__________________________________________________

22.


__________________________________________________

23.


__________________________________________________

24.


__________________________________________________

25.


__________________________________________________

26.


__________________________________________________

27.



Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 095 secrets from Secret Submission Post #268.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 2 3 4 - too big ], [ 0 - repeats ]
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments and concerns should go here.

Comments

[ascend.livejournal.com]

i am not arguing the degree to which it is correct; i am fully aware that calling a foetus a baby or a child is more or less an emotional appeal rather than a neutral one (regardless of context, actually). i don't know how much clearer i can be when i state that i was merely arguing against the notion that child/baby are incorrect completely, because they're not - even in this context. the physical condition of the foetus doesn't rely on the setting to change. whether you are standing in the presence of a baby shower or in the presence of an abortion clinic, the foetus is still the same thing. you can call it as you wish and you'd still be right in doing so, even if it seems emotionally misplaced.

[tigerdreams.livejournal.com]

So there's no such thing as context, or context doesn't affect the meaning of words in any way?

[ascend.livejournal.com]

ok lets be real, you know i'm not implying that. this is a logical fallacy. there's no way i would have brought up context in my last reply to begin with if i thought it was bogus. but context here doesn't change whether or not any of the mentioned terms for foetus are correct, it just changes their social accuracy, if you will.

you've mentioned that child/baby are both less correct and incorrect in this context, so i'm not sure if you're being consistent here. let me ask you - do you think calling a foetus a baby or a child in this context is linguistically wrong, or just less accurate than foetus?

[tigerdreams.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think it's not even really that correct in a baby-shower context, but I handwave that because people are talking about the child it's going to be, or speaking in an almost metaphorical sense because of the emotions involved in the anticipation of a wanted baby. But that's a context where technical accuracy about prenatal development isn't really relevant.

In a discussion of reproductive rights, technical accuracy about prenatal development is relevant, and there are specific periods of time when the organism in question is a zygote, when it's an embryo, when it's a fetus, and when it's a baby. If the purpose of language is to make oneself understood, then conflating these stages is incorrect, because it obscures understanding and removes clarity.

[ascend.livejournal.com]

so you are basically disagreeing with the english language, ok

just wanted to clear that up

[tigerdreams.livejournal.com]

Yeah, except for how no. Hint: the dictionary is a reflection of common usage, not a how-to manual.

I never understood why prescriptivists were annoying until now. Thanks!

[ascend.livejournal.com]

as if you aren't clinging to prescriptivism yourself ???

p.s. common usage typically denotes what is and is not linguistically acceptable, however improper or nonstandard it may be.