Cato's Grammar Grumble

[Cato]

I am temporarily in the center of Ohio, home of certain television reporters who are very inept with the English language.

This morning - (and I am not making this up, sadly) - a 30-something, becoming the victim of a scrambled vocabulary on camera, used the following word quite naturally, as if he had used it often:


"...un-understansible." 


I believe the full statement was similar to: "Everybody seemed to like Jack's Restaurant.   Why it closed down is just un-understansible!"


While this curious coinage is comprestandible, I suspect it will not catch on!   

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

It baffles Science!

[Cato]

It baffles Science!

Ah yes, it does indeed! 

[André]

How do you un-un something ? 🧐

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

How do you un-un something ? 🧐

Indeed!

[JBS]

Although in this case the un is part of "under", so one under-stands something.
It might help to point to the German verb meaning "understand" is verstehen, while the verb meaning "stand" is stehen.

This does raise the question why we don't refer to lack of understanding as overstanding. Such are the quirks of English.

[André]

Sometimes, avoiding quirkiness is an underarching consideration.

[steve ridgway]

A few years ago, for the sake of filling in the gaps in the periodic table, the as yet undiscovered chemical elements up to 118 were given temporary names such as Ununtrium (113), Ununpentium (115), Ununseptium (117) and Ununoctium (118). These are now known as Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine and Oganesson.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

A few years ago, for the sake of filling in the gaps in the periodic table, the as yet undiscovered chemical elements up to 118 were given temporary names such as Ununtrium (113), Ununpentium (115), Ununseptium (117) and Ununoctium (118). These are now known as Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine and Oganesson.

At a semi-wild guess, I wonder if Tennessine is associated with the Oak Ridge labs....

[Florestan]

A few years ago, for the sake of filling in the gaps in the periodic table, the as yet undiscovered chemical elements up to 118 were given temporary names such as Ununtrium (113), Ununpentium (115), Ununseptium (117) and Ununoctium (118). These are now known as Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine and Oganesson.

That's where David Cameron must have taken the inspiration for his Unobtainium from... 

[steve ridgway]

At a semi-wild guess, I wonder if Tennessine is associated with the Oak Ridge labs....

Yes, didn't know you were into nuclear physics Karl.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Yes, didn't know you were into nuclear physics Karl.

No, but a previous girlfriend hailed from Oak Ridge. She was nuclear by association

[Florestan]

No, but a previous girlfriend hailed from Oak Ridge. She was nuclear by association

I presume you two had some hot fusions... 

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

A good article, but the headline manages to mis-parse Henry V.

Cassidy Hutchinson Held Their Manhoods Cheap

[coffee]

Although in this case the un is part of "under", so one under-stands something.
It might help to point to the German verb meaning "understand" is verstehen, while the verb meaning "stand" is stehen.

This does raise the question why we don't refer to lack of understanding as overstanding. Such are the quirks of English.

A language with very derstandable rules, perhaps.

[Cato]

From an article about a Broadway brouhaha:

"... We found the few good things people had said, stood by her, and kept going. The critics were not wrong, but we tried to major on (her) sweetness and innocence..."

"to major on"

In a university or college you can major in a subject.  Obviously that is a completely different context.

And so, what is wrong with "we tried to focus on (or upon)..." ?

Broadway slang of some sort?  If so, it fails our tests of wit and nuance!   0:)   

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Woof!

[DaveF]

On the BBC News website today:

"Four Vietnamese men missing after mill fire named"

Not really a subject for jokes, I appreciate, but I do wonder what they named it.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

(* chortle *)