cw (01/10/83)
Recently, several people have argued that some word X means the same
as word Y because some dictionary shows Y as a possible meaning for X.
The two cases that spring to mind are "bimonthly"/"semimonthly"
and "celibacy"/"chastity" ("infer"/"imply" is also common).
Let me point up some flaws in this argument:
1. Not all dictionaries are created equal. In particular, some
dictionaries report (as has been noted here) all usage, including
that of illiterates, without comment. Also, some dictionaries are
simply poorly written and edited.
2. Even were usage the standard of meaning for a word, the fact
that some people (erroneously) use X to mean Y does not mean that
we all have to use X to mean Y.
3. If X and Y once distinguished features of some idea
(e.g., "infer" and "imply" tell us who is doing the thinking), then
using X to mean Y (and vice versa, presumably) blurs and loses a
useful distinction.
4. If you wish to be a relativist and claim that a word means
just what you want it to mean, then I hope you enjoy your conversations
with Humpty Dumpty, but do not expect to spend much time talking with
me. If you can not express your ideas in the normal tongue of
reasonably intelligent and educated people, I have a moderate
suspicion that your ideas simply do not exist.
It is true, as a previous contributor has pointed out, that the
confusion between "bimonthly" and "semimonthly" in many minds
might encourage one to write "twice a month" or "every two months"
for perfect clarity. Even as a matter of style, the paraphrase may
be preferable. But that does not make the words mean the same thing.
Finally, on many computers, the instructions "Add Register to Memory"
and "Add Memory to Register" have almost the same effect (and very
similar opcodes). If a programmer who worked for you substituted one
for another and then excused the mistake by saying that they meant
the same thing, would you excuse that programmer or even--as has been
done in articles here--praise the programmer for creativity and
freedom of thought? Why are your standards for clarity and
precision in natural language any different?
Charles