Posted on 07/09/2015 11:40:57 AM PDT by pabianice
Most people have a linguistic pet peeve or two, a useful complaint about language that they can sound off about to show other people that they know how to wield the English language. Most of these peeves tend to be rather irrational, a quality which should in no way diminish the enjoyment of the complainer. A classic example of this is the word decimate.
The complaint about the word typically centers on the fact that decimate is used improperly to refer to ‘destroying a large portion of something’, when the ‘true’ meaning of the word is ‘to put to death (or punish) one of every ten’.
There are several problems with this complaint. The first, and most obvious, is that language has an ineluctable desire to change, and there are almost no words in English which have been around for more than a few hundred years without taking on new meanings, changing their old ones, or coming to simultaneously mean one thing and the opposite (a type of word known as a contronym).
How dare you! In case you have forgotten, there were MORE FRENCH TROOPS at Yorktown than there were Americans. In case you have forgotten, Admiral De Grasse defeated the British in the Battle of the Chesapeake as the FRENCH NAVY stood staunch in the face of British aggression, thereby trapping Cornwallis. AND don’t forget Lafayette!
The French foot soldiers were being slaughtered by the German Machine Gun fire for one thing, and the superior German artillery, yet wave after wave were called to “go over the top” into the face of certain death. Finally, they had had enough. The cavalry and the Artillery units did not revolt as they were NOT on the front lines. Less than half of the units chose spokesmen to ask for such thing as rotation off the front lines and decent food and furlough, which Petain provided. Spend some time learning what they had to fight against and perhaps you will have a sharply readjusted vision of the FACTS! I would also suggest you visit the front line and view firsthand the trenches in which these men lived.
EXCEPT they don't decimate the troops for poor performance
In France the officers and top sergeants so to speak “selected” those who had been more or less ringleaders WITH THE CONSENT of the soldiers at large. That is an enormous difference with the “Classic” decimation. Washington, I believe, hung a few deserters as an example to the others but the men revered him and went through hell by his side....witness Valley Forge. The force of his personality bound the men to his side.
“Snuck” is a word used in certain regions of the country whereas others use the word “sneaked.” It is rather similar to the use of “shats” on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and “Shatters” on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and other words to the north, all meaning dried pine needles.
You are absolutely correct.
Or the Bible, where every person that pisseth against the wall was killed.
You don’t do jokes, do you?
We don't, but I'm pretty sure North Korea probably does......................
That's why Latin has been used for scientific work for centuries, it's a dead language so it cannot change....................
Decimate is not a latin word, it's an english word with a latin root. It's meaning and usage can evolve and change over time even if the root never will.
Yes, we have lots of Anglicized Latin words in our language, and decimate is one of them. But the scientific community uses the old Latin for lots of things just so it cannot change......................
I have a good sense of humor but if you intended your remark to be a joke, I still find it offensive. I am fatigued with the jokes, sarcasm, unjust and denigrating remarks against the French people. I am not French, but I have spent much time in France and have never encountered a difficult situation there that there was not a French person on the spot immediately to help me sort things out, usually because I was an American. The stories are too numerous to recount, but one of these days I’ll probably write a book about a truly warmhearted, friendly people and the funny things that happened to me in France. At the moment I am writing a book which takes place in Lorraine in Northeastern France during World War I. I wish more people to learn about a country which was invaded three times in one lifetime by the Germans and what they had to put up with. Why don’t we joke about the Germans? Why do we support their economy by buying their cars and other products? Germany never paid the retributions it owed us, so why do they get off Scot free? They have never been on the battlefield on our side. I could go on but this is not a rant.
If you meant your comment as a joke, I apologize. You’re entitled to your opinion as to whom you wish to castigate. I only wish there would be a little more justice for a lovely people.
Okay.
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