Word Crimes

[algonacchick]

Joe - How long ago did this happen? Obviously, Al's song has brought it to light again.

As far as the dictionary adding that definition just because people misuse the word doesn't make it right. We all know that when people use the word "literally" incorrectly, they really mean "figuratively", but we also know that that is not proper English. Just don't use that word in a sentence if you're describing something in a figurative sense. For example "I was so scared, I jumped out of my skin!" Everyone knows that is figurative speech. Adding the word "literally" is not necessary.

[mrmeadows]

Why even have the word "literally" if M-W has decided to strip it of any real meaning?

[algonacchick]

Why even have the word "literally" if M-W has decided to strip it of any real meaning?

That's what I'm saying! They've made "literally" and "figuratively" both synonyms and antonyms for each other. My head may explode.

Okay, happy now?

[TMBJon]

My head my explode.

[PlayAWarGame]

Hey now, there are plenty of valid uses of using "literally" to mean "figuratively"!

For example, I'm a novelist, and I can use it in character dialogue to demonstrate that the character doing so is stupid!

[The Sporkman]

"Literal" originally meant "of or pertaining to letters or writing." The Latin adjective "literalis" comes from the noun "litera," meaning "letter." "Litera" comes from the Etruscan form of the Greek loanword "diphthera," which meant "tablet" at the time of its borrowing, though it originally meant "leather" and comes from roots meaning "dissected animal." The figurative use of the word "literal" to mean "exact" or "actual" in English isn't recorded until the late 16th century. The first recorded use of the adverb "literally" as an intensifier dates to the 17th century.

When you look up a word in the dictionary, you want to know what people mean when they say it. How useful would a dictionary be if it only listed original definitions for things? Very few people today would use the word "literal" to mean "alphabetical" or "in writing," and no one would use it to mean "made of leather." However, many people today use its adverbial form both to mean "actually" and as an intensifier. If you're unfamiliar with any of these uses or with the word itself, you would want to see all possible common, modern, and archaic definitions when you went to look it up. If your dictionary only tells you that a person who "literally can't get out of bed" is someone who can't get out of bed by means of written characters, you're going to end up very confused.

[Skippy]

Very few people today would use the word "literal" to mean "alphabetical" or "in writing"

I would say that "in writing" is fairly close to what it means today. If I tell you I literally cut off my nose to spite my face, then I'm saying that what I did is exactly what you see in writing, as opposed to figuratively cutting off my nose to spite my face, which would mean my real-life actions were something else entirely.

But to your overall point, I agree with you that dictionaries should list all common usages of words. The problem with this is that most people see the dictionary more as a rulebook than a catalog, so it kind of has the opposite of the intended effect. Fortunately, the "for emphasis" definition of "literally" is usually noted as "non-standard," and I hope it stays that way.

[algonacchick]

I give up. Never mind, I give up.

[amzo39]

Again, this is the best thread.

[Teh Dingo]

To paraphrase the greatest television theme song ever written "Repeat to yourself it's just a song, I should really just relax"