Re: OT: linguistic mis-usages (was Re: Remove subject)
On 15 May 2015, The Wanderer wrote:
> On 05/15/2015 at 07:35 AM, Chris Bannister wrote:
>
> > On Tue, May 12, 2015 at 09:16:17AM +0100, Anthony Campbell wrote:
>
> >> Since we're well off-topic already, I can't resist citing a rather
> >> similar and increasingly prevalent negative usage that makes no
> >> sense. I quite often read the phrase: "the importance of this
> >> cannot be underestimated". It should, of course, be OVER-estimated,
> >> or alternatively "must not be under-estimated". I think the two
> >> usages have
> >
> > Nooooo! Why does it need a hyphen?
>
> To help indicate that you're separating out (and thus focusing on) the
> first half of the compound word, while still indicating that you're
> using the compound word rather than (incorrectly) the matching two-word
> phrase.
>
> > What is it with all these hyphens that people are sticking between
> > words these days?
>
> I can't speak to all of them, but in a large fraction of cases, they're
> extremely helpful for communicating the way in which you intend words to
> group together.
[snip]
Agreed. And it isn't "these days"; in fact, in earlier times people used
hyphens more than they do now. But I think the fashion pendulum is
beginning to swing back (and it's largely a question of fashion).
But not entirely fashion. Omitting hyphens can sometimes cause the
reader to check momentarily, a kind of mental stumble. E.g. the hyphen
in the subject line of this thread is useful; "misusages" would be
confusing. It's a question of courtesy to readers.
AC
AC
--
Anthony Campbell http://www.acampbell.uk
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