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The descriptivist's dilemma (infosec.pub)

submitted 2 years ago by pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de to c/linguistics_humor@sh.itjust.works

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alt text: A two panel comic. In the first panel there are two buttons labeled "I don't believe in prescriptivism" and "'Literally' cannot mean 'figuratively'". A finger hovers between the buttons. In the second panel, the finger's owner is sweating and wiping his brow, unable to decide.

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[–] Venator@lemmy.nz 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Take the utilitarian position: the word "literally" is more useful if it is distinct from the word "figuratively", but in most other cases descriptivist definitions are more useful.

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

I just get annoyed when people use it in ambiguous context and it creates confusion.