I love the idea here, because misuse of the word “literally” is one of my pet peeves. We need that word, because sometimes it helps to clarify, when what you’ve said could be taken as a figure of speech, but you don’t mean it that way. Too bad about the misspelled “vise”, though – which is kind of ironic, since the intention of the strip seems to be to throw a bone to people who care about good and correct writing and speaking.
“What is we now have in America is not even close to the American language.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Living languages change over time, whether we like it or not.Dead languages don’t change because.they are not spoken commonly. Some of the changes in our language I abhor. Use to be that ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ had their specific differences, but now everyone says ‘lay’ when then should be saying ‘lie.’ The thing that complicates it is that ‘lay’ is the past tense of ‘lie.’There was a time when ‘lend’ was the verb and ‘loan’ was the lnoun. Now everyone uses loan as a verb. Even the dictionary reluctantly defines it as an alternative. That’s why our American language IS the American language, with a splattering of French, Spanish, English and a whole bunch of other languages. We SAY we speak English, but in actually, we speakAmerican.
Well, all this verbiage about a simple little word!!! My comment about the English language—— English is the hardest in the world to master. I’m trying, but I think I’m going to run out of years to do it!
I had to check with my fave dictionary, formerly known as the Amer. Herit. Dict. of the Eng. Lang. 4th Ed. It gives ‘vice’ as a variant of ‘vise’ with no geographic specification, which they normally would do. This is a dictionary that was originally written as a protest against other dictionaries that were too quick to grant legitimacy to misusages.
ratlum almost 11 years ago
Come on King save him,you little runt.
Swalb%515 almost 11 years ago
You spoke too soon, Rodney. Watch what you say.
edclectic almost 11 years ago
Good thing Rod didn’t say he had “a splitting headache.”
watmiwori almost 11 years ago
His head is in a vise, with an ‘s’. A vice, with a ‘c’, is Something Completely Different — and usually lots more fun.
Richard Howland-Bolton Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Glad to see vice spelt in the proper UK fashion.
But I’m sure he was using ‘literally’ figuratively.
loner34 almost 11 years ago
Anyone who believes we speak “English” here in the USA has never been to G B. We speak American.
edclectic almost 11 years ago
Language evolves.
David Huie Green AmericaIsGreatItHasUs almost 11 years ago
Made an honest man out of him
tom field almost 11 years ago
Vise?
David Huie Green AmericaIsGreatItHasUs almost 11 years ago
a word means what I want it to meanbut it helps if we agree on that definition
belgarathmth almost 11 years ago
I love the idea here, because misuse of the word “literally” is one of my pet peeves. We need that word, because sometimes it helps to clarify, when what you’ve said could be taken as a figure of speech, but you don’t mean it that way. Too bad about the misspelled “vise”, though – which is kind of ironic, since the intention of the strip seems to be to throw a bone to people who care about good and correct writing and speaking.
goweeder almost 11 years ago
“What is we now have in America is not even close to the American language.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Living languages change over time, whether we like it or not.Dead languages don’t change because.they are not spoken commonly. Some of the changes in our language I abhor. Use to be that ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ had their specific differences, but now everyone says ‘lay’ when then should be saying ‘lie.’ The thing that complicates it is that ‘lay’ is the past tense of ‘lie.’There was a time when ‘lend’ was the verb and ‘loan’ was the lnoun. Now everyone uses loan as a verb. Even the dictionary reluctantly defines it as an alternative. That’s why our American language IS the American language, with a splattering of French, Spanish, English and a whole bunch of other languages. We SAY we speak English, but in actually, we speakAmerican.
valgrant almost 11 years ago
Well, all this verbiage about a simple little word!!! My comment about the English language—— English is the hardest in the world to master. I’m trying, but I think I’m going to run out of years to do it!
exciteme almost 11 years ago
this is America. it’s ‘vise’….
RetFor almost 11 years ago
has no one heard of hyperbole?
BlueElephantz almost 11 years ago
Looks like the Wiz. would be a fan of Captain Literally.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jh4Mpgbi4A
pschearer Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I had to check with my fave dictionary, formerly known as the Amer. Herit. Dict. of the Eng. Lang. 4th Ed. It gives ‘vice’ as a variant of ‘vise’ with no geographic specification, which they normally would do. This is a dictionary that was originally written as a protest against other dictionaries that were too quick to grant legitimacy to misusages.
Michael McKown Premium Member almost 11 years ago
Vise.
Tin Can Twidget almost 11 years ago
If you want to get real technical, that is neither a vise or a vice on Rodney’s head — it is a parallel clamp.
Ooten Aboot almost 11 years ago
Yes, edclectic, language evolves. Now that “literally” means “figuratively” and “only” means “one of a few”, nothing means anything.