>In the past few days, once in a poem and again in a novel, both works by
>reasonably highly regarded writers--I have come across the word "hung"
>to refer to people who had committed suicide by stringing themselves up:
>e.g., "One poor client hung himself from a basement rafter--...."  I
>recall being taught that beef (and other animal) carcasses were "hung"
>for aging purposes, but that human beings were "hanged."  Is this now a
>laughably quaint distinction?
 
 
I tried referring to this convention once by telling students that "people
are never hung."  The snickers indicated that I didn't word this very well.
 
Larry Beason,Director
English Composition Program
Dept. of English
Eastern Washington University
Cheney WA 99004
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WAC Page: http://ewu66649.ewu.edu/WAC.html