Bob, Your knowledge of English usage and the language's history never fails to astound me. Keep it coming :-)
regards, Anthony Farr > -----Original Message----- > From: Bob W [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Hi, > >>> > >>> Which begs the question . . . > >> > >> > >> This seems to be my nitpick of the day. > >> > >> To beg a question means to pretend the question doesn't arise, > >> not to call for an answer to the question. > >> > > > > I'm with you, John - I actually won a bet on this the other day. > > Unfortunately it's become common usage, at least with media people in Oz. > > Well, really there are 2 ways of using the phrase - informally and > formally. > > Informally, or colloquially, people use it to mean 'raise the question'. > This use may be based on a mistaken understanding of the formal use, but > it's now so common that it's never misunderstood in context. We should > now treat it as perfectly correct, in my opinion, because it > communicates what is intended. We don't have to like it though. > > Formally the phrase belongs in the world of philosophy and critical > thinking, and means that you are assuming the point that is at issue, > which is circular reasoning. > > People who understand the formal use of the phrase usually avoid the > colloquial use. But if you were to use it 'correctly' in an informal > context, there's a better-than-even chance that you'd be misunderstood. > So perhaps it's best avoided altogether unless you're in a seminar with > a bunch of philosophers. > > -- > Cheers, > Bob
