Cato's Grammar Grumble

[Cato]

I was reading a book review in the Wall Street Journal from the weekend and came across this curiosity:

...the Talmudists and the medieval commentators agreed that (in Gehenna) infernal punishments can be atoned for and are strictly limited to 12 months.



Am I missing something?  One does not "atone for" a punishment: I would think one atones for the things which caused the punishment.

It is nice to know that among these theologians the idea of eternal punishment    was not possible!  0:)

Perhaps there is an exception for grammar crimes! 

[Karl Henning]

And to think the punishment atonement is mensurable in Earth-months, too!

[Cato]

And to think the punishment atonement is mensurable in Earth-months, too!

True!  A month out on Altair IV could be a little longer! 

[Cato]

A television commercial for a charter-school group here in Ohio says that they believe "every child is uniquely brilliant." 

Which phrase proves why you would never want to send your child to their schools!   

[kishnevi]

I was reading a book review in the Wall Street Journal from the weekend and came across this curiosity:

...the Talmudists and the medieval commentators agreed that (in Gehenna) infernal punishments can be atoned for and are strictly limited to 12 months.



Am I missing something?  One does not "atone for" a punishment: I would think one atones for the things which caused the punishment.

It is nice to know that among these theologians the idea of eternal punishment    was not possible!  0:)

Perhaps there is an exception for grammar crimes! 

What was probably meant was a reference to the idea that saying the Kaddish prayer, giving charity,  and other religious acts done by the children are deemed merits of the deceased parent and mitigate otherworldly punishment. Like indulgences shorten Purgatory in Catholic teaching (or have they given it up?)...in fact, since Judaism downplays eternal punishment (the worst of the worst "lose their share of the World to Come", and there is no single agreed definition of what that actually means)  Purgatory is a good parallel.

Most souls get out of Gehenna before twelve months. Only the worst ones (presumably  not quite as bad as those who lose their share of the World to Come) stay twelve months. And since no child wants to imply their parent was as bad as that, Kaddish is said for eleven months. It is also recited on the anniversary of the death every year, but the theory is that the parent is already in Paradise, and prayers and charity in their honor are means to elevate them to a higher level.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks for the enlightenment, Jeffrey.

[Ten thumbs]

FB seems to have a new term
USIES

Meaning a selfie with two or more people featured.

I'm sure a usie must be anything that is put to use.

[Cato]

What was probably meant was a reference to the idea that saying the Kaddish prayer, giving charity,  and other religious acts done by the children are deemed merits of the deceased parent and mitigate otherworldly punishment. Like indulgences shorten Purgatory in Catholic teaching (or have they given it up?)...in fact, since Judaism downplays eternal punishment (the worst of the worst "lose their share of the World to Come", and there is no single agreed definition of what that actually means)  Purgatory is a good parallel.

Most souls get out of Gehenna before twelve months. Only the worst ones (presumably  not quite as bad as those who lose their share of the World to Come) stay twelve months. And since no child wants to imply their parent was as bad as that, Kaddish is said for eleven months. It is also recited on the anniversary of the death every year, but the theory is that the parent is already in Paradise, and prayers and charity in their honor are means to elevate them to a higher level.

Yes, thanks for the explanation!

As for indulgences, I must admit that, if they have not exactly been given up, they are hardly mentioned at all any more.   0:)

I'm sure a usie must be anything that is put to use.

I await a cure for the rampant narcissism affecting the planet: perhaps an invasion of brain-eating aliens?   

Or is that what has caused this disease? 

[Cato]

Yesterday at a faculty meeting we were given an excerpt from one of the most gruesome inventions known in all of Human History...

...an "Education" Textbook! 

It has a chart with the following curiosity, where Level I is Incompetent and Level IV is Superior.

"Level I: Student frequently cannot work independently...

Level II: Student continuously fails to work independently"

Other charts had the same insistence that "frequently" somehow meant "continuously" and "continuously" meant something less than "continuously"!

This was on a page marked "Rubrics for Metacognition"    with the last word being a professorial preciosity in Education Departments.  My comment was: Why use "metacognition" when you could have used "epistemology" or, even better, "introspection" ?      

[North Star]

Metacognition: what happens when you continue to write after your conscious mental activities have stopped.

[Karl Henning]

I've seen it! On the Interwebs!

Thanks, Obama.

[Cato]

Metacognition: what happens when you continue to write after your conscious mental activities have stopped.

I've seen it! On the Interwebs!

Thanks, Obama.

Last night a local television reporter, giving us the latest on another unsolved shooting, said:

"At eleven we'll have the remains of the investigation for you."   

I am not sure what that could be, but it certainly sounds unpleasant!  0:)

[Karl Henning]

Eeeewww

[kishnevi]

Yesterday at a faculty meeting we were given an excerpt from one of the most gruesome inventions known in all of Human History...

...an "Education" Textbook! 

It has a chart with the following curiosity, where Level I is Incompetent and Level IV is Superior.

"Level I: Student frequently cannot work independently...

Level II: Student continuously fails to work independently"

Other charts had the same insistence that "frequently" somehow meant "continuously" and "continuously" meant something less than "continuously"!

This was on a page marked "Rubrics for Metacognition"    with the last word being a professorial preciosity in Education Departments.  My comment was: Why use "metacognition" when you could have used "epistemology" or, even better, "introspection" ?      

Perhaps Level I should be parsed to mean "Student does not have the ability...."
And Level II should be parsed to mean "Student has, but does not use, the ability"

I did audit some education courses at the local university a couple of decades back.  The School of Education there was a real world demonstration of a corollary of Bernard Shaw's "Those that can, do.  Those that can not, teach."  Those that can not teach, teach teaching.   

[Cato]

Perhaps Level I should be parsed to mean "Student does not have the ability...."
And Level II should be parsed to mean "Student has, but does not use, the ability"

I did audit some education courses at the local university a couple of decades back.  The School of Education there was a real world demonstration of a corollary of Bernard Shaw's "Those that can, do.  Those that can not, teach."  Those that can not teach, teach teaching.

And those who fail at everything connected to education, become Education Department bureaucrats for state and federal governments!   

[zamyrabyrd]

I was just taken aback when watching a TV program on suspension bridges and hearing the plural of vortex (swirling water around the bridges) as vortexes! Anyway, I looked it up now and vortexes stands beside vortices as plural, coming first as a matter of fact. I was just wondering when all this happened. Of course, regular English words like box get es for plural, the same with compound words such as prefix, complex, etc.
Vortex is like matrix so it shouldn't be too hard to remember vortices being similar to matrices.

[Cato]

I was just taken aback when watching a TV program on suspension bridges and hearing the plural of vortex (swirling water around the bridges) as vortexes! Anyway, I looked it up now and vortexes stands beside vortices as plural, coming first as a matter of fact. I was just wondering when all this happened. Of course, regular English words like box get es for plural, the same with compound words such as prefix, complex, etc.
Vortex is like matrix so it shouldn't be too hard to remember vortices being similar to matrices.

Yes, this is another sore point!  You are quite right, it should not be that hard, but this is the era of EEEZZZEEE everything, so apparently it is too hard for our latest group of humans known as GNRTN TXTNG.  The Wall Street Journal surrendered some years ago to "indexes" and no longer uses "indices."   

[zamyrabyrd]

Yes, this is another sore point!  You are quite right, it should not be that hard, but this is the era of EEEZZZEEE everything, so apparently it is too hard for our latest group of humans known as GNRTN TXTNG.  The Wall Street Journal surrendered some years ago to "indexes" and no longer uses "indices."   

"Indices" and "matrices" are easier to say. "Vortex" is not as common, but "vortices" sounds swell if you have a chance to use it. No need for "supercalifragolicious..." to impress others.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I need advice....

For some reason I keep switching between 'speciality' and 'specialty' in conversation. As I understand it, Australian English is probably much more relaxed with the 'rules' than other varieties of English....but is there a standard for this word which is technically more correct than the other? I would rather be consistent with my English but I don't know which pronunciation to use anyway. 

[Cato]

I need advice....

For some reason I keep switching between 'speciality' and 'specialty' in conversation. As I understand it, Australian English is probably much more relaxed with the 'rules' than other varieties of English....but is there a standard for this word which is technically more correct than the other? I would rather be consistent with my English but I don't know which pronunciation to use anyway.

Both are considered correct, according to most dictionaries: "specialty" without the extra "i" is probably more common here in America: probably most people would agree that it is easier to say.   Possibly for fancy emphasis you might hear "My speciality is...ontology."  0:)

("Speciality" is underlined right now in red.)