Paul, I've been thinking hard all weekend, trying to think through
your analysis (that "different" is a noun in "think different").  I
think you may be correct, though I didn't think of such a possibility
myself. But you thought a good thought.  And fought a good . . .
Well, I'm starting to get silly now, I think.

To get back to serious grammatical analysis.  Couldn't "different" in
"think different" have resonance (resonate?) noun, adjective, and
adverb?  It would be a bit like looking at the water goblet/faces
figure in so many cognitive psychology texts.  It's hard to see one
or the other for too long.  They both exist.  I've been re-reading
Pinker's THE LANGUAGE INSTINCT for a class I'm teaching. In the
chapter on phonology, "The Sounds of Silence," Pinker makes the point
several times that to some extent the language sounds we hear are
illusory.  And that we often hear vowel or consonant sounds where no
such sounds exist in the way that we hear them, in part because of
their context.  I guess the point I'm trying to make, Paul, is that
it may be that "different" in "think different" takes on nounness,
adverness, and adjectiveness because of the possiblity of "think" as
an intransitive, linking, or transitive verb.  I don't know that I'd
lay down my life to defend this ditch, but the more I think about it,
the more fetching this view becomes. If not the more kvetching. Max

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>               <[log in to unmask]>
>Poster:       "Paul E. Doniger" <[log in to unmask]>
>Organization: The Total Tutor
>Subject:      Re: Query about "act professional and speak professional"
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>----------
>
>Max,
>
>Isn't the word 'different' in "Think different" more like a direct object
>(what to think), as in: Think "different."?
>
>Paul E. Doniger
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Max Morenberg <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2001 6:26 PM
>Subject: Re: Query about "act professional and speak professional"
>
>
>  > Bill, with a great deal of trepidation, I'll jump into your question
>  > (prepared to jump out at any moment). At first glance, you'd want
>  > "professionally," an adverb, not the adjective "professional" in a
>  > slot following an intransitive verb. But I think the adjectives are
>  > functioning as adverbs.  This gives them an interesting new meaning,
>  > much like Apple's "Think Different." It has more resonance than Think
>  > Differently would. After all, adjectives and manner adverbs are close
>  > in structure and meaning. And lots of times one part of speech has
>  > two syntactic manifestations (I'm grasping for terminology), kind of
>  > like when verbs function as nouns (gerunds and infinitives).  Is this
>  > syncretism?
>  >
>  > I hope, Bill, this attends to the question you had in mind. Max
>  >
>  > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
>  > >-----------------------
>  > >Sender:       Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>  > >               <[log in to unmask]>
>  > >Poster:       "William J. McCleary" <[log in to unmask]>
>  > >Subject:      Re: Query about "act professional and speak professional"
>  > >---------------------------------------------------------------------
>  > >----------
>  > >
>  > >While you're working on Linda's query about "now once again," please
>ponder
>  > >this one. I have seen this construction several times, including in the
>  > >play "The Miracle Worker" and wonder how the experts parse it.
>  > >
>  > >If you act professional and speak professional, people will respect you.
>  > >
>  > >Bill
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  >Could I have some feedback about the wording of the following
>sentence,
>  > >  >especially regarding the phrase "now once again"?
>  > >  >
>  > >  >"In September 1991 the parish celebrated a re-dedication of the newly
>  > >  >refurbished bell, which now once again calls the faithful to Mass and
>lends
>  > >  >its voice to celebrate weddings and bid farewell at funerals."
>  > >  >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >William J. McCleary
>  > >3247 Bronson Hill Road
>  > >Livonia, NY 14487
>  > >716-346-6859
>  > >
>  > >To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
>interface at:
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>  > >and select "Join or leave the list"
>  > >
>  > >Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>  >
>  > Max Morenberg, Professor
>  > Department of English
>  > Miami University
>  > Oxford, OH 45056
>  > [log in to unmask]
>  >
>  > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
>at:
>  >      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>  > and select "Join or leave the list"
>  >
>  > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>  >
>
>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
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>
>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

Max Morenberg, Professor
Department of English
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
[log in to unmask]

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