On 21/03/11 21:19, Vaclav Mocek wrote: > > On 03/21/2011 06:19 PM, Joe Zeff wrote: >> On 03/21/2011 10:16 AM, stan wrote: >>> And it >>> begs the question of*why* people might be deserting Fedora. >> No it doesn't; it *ASKS* the question. "Begging the question" is a >> logical fallacy. Please stop using that term like an illiterate moron, >> even if it is common usage. Just because the common herd uses it >> doesn't make it right and to those of us who know what it means it makes >> you sound like an ID10T. > > From my Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2008): > > Idiom "beg the question" > > 1. to make somebody want to ask a question that has not yet been answered > "All of which begs the question as to who will fund the project." > > 2. to talk about something as if it were definitely true, even though it > might not be > "These assumptions beg the question that children learn languages > more easily than adults." > > > I am confused; it is an idiom, which is a part of Standard [British] > English and the previous usage seems to be correct. That is, if I may say so, extremely unhelpful of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. As was pointed out by Les, "Many English speakers assume "beg the question" means "raise the question" and use it accordingly: for example, "this year's deficit is half a trillion dollars, which begs the question: how are we ever going to balance the budget?" Most commentators deem such usage incorrect." The correct usage of "begging the question" is important because for some English speakers it is an indication of how well-educated the speaker is: it is a Shibboleth. The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary really should warn learners that the first usage, although common, is technically incorrect. Andrew. -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
