Nouns as verbs: As much as my linguist's heart tells me you can't stop
change, there are a few usages I've heard recently that really rub me the
wrong way. One is the title used for an annual ling-and-lit conference
called something like 'languaging' (ugh!); the other a Kinko's 'ad' on
public radio that goes like this: 'Kinko's -- the new way to office' or
some such. Double ugh! I guess I like down-home usages that THE PEOPLE
(whoever they are) come up with, but inventions by those trying to be clever
don't always catch fire with me.
 
These are just a few of my personal peeves. There are other
nouns-as-verbs that I like. I hope you've all seen the Calvin cartoon on
this: a walk in the snow; Calvin says to Hobbes:
 
I like to verb words.
H: What?
 
Frame 2:
C: I take nouns and adjectives and use them as verbs. Remember when
'access' was a thing? Now it's something you do. It got verbed.
 
Frame 3: (as they move on through the snow)
C: Verbing weirds language.
H: Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to
understanding.
 
'Access' as a verb is one that I like.
 
Johanna
 
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Johanna Rubba   Assistant Professor, Linguistics              ~
English Department, California Polytechnic State University   ~
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407                                     ~
Tel. (805)-756-2184  E-mail: [log in to unmask]      ~
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