Geekly Update - 21 August 2013

Hi, Bob,

With regard to your observation, "Google has added a secondary definition to the word, 'literally.' It now means, 'figuratively.'"

Sadly, it's not just Google, and it's not new. My literal (read that: "real, in the flesh, actual, not figurative") Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition," hard cover, thank you, published in 2009, offers this secondary definition of literally: "in effect; virtually." It cites usage by Norman Cousins: "... will literally turn the world upside down to combat cruelty."

HOW CAN THIS BE???

Well, ... my dictionary takes about eight pages to explain the role and function of the dictionary. One key point is that dictionary editors do not arbitrarily report how a word is supposed to be used. Rather they report, based on vigorous research, how a word IS used, by literate and notable writers and speakers (Norman Cousins, for example).

Therefore, the meanings in a dictionary change over time, as new uses for a word find their way into mainstream conversation and writing.

That's how it happens. Literally. ;-)

Here's a good example (I'm going to disguise a particular word, to avoid being politically incorrect): Your first name, Bob, spelled with TWO of the same vowel, not one, was used by earlier generations to mean a "simpleton, an awkward person." But to most modern Americans, the word is a (vulgar) reference to a portion of the female anatomy. Or two portions, literally.

Actually.

There is no "Michigan University", well at least one that is supported with tax dollars.

Maybe literally meaning figuratively is a typo or misprint. Google isn't that stupid, are they?

Will the Face Book payment system overcharge users 30% like their IPO did earlier this year? Heck, the price of the item purchased will eventually catch up with the FB price charged via inflation.

While Lee's comment is essentially correct. It is important to keep in mind that English is an international language and that word meanings can vary by country or region. In this instance, the word under discussion is not as common in other English speaking countries.

The example of Bob is interesting in that typical meanings in countries outside of the US differ from what Merriam-Webster cites. Then, that's just one more example of English in all its versions.

Bill Bryson's book "Mother Tongue" is probably the most interesting and generally accurate non-academic work on English I've found. He can give a real "feel" for what Lee is saying.

All in all, English is "top dog" as far as languages go. It may be that its flexibility is what makes it so heavily used. Too, there is no official body that approves or disapproves new words and/or meanings - unlike many other languages, we the people make the changes. This won't be the first time a word's meaning has changed to the opposite.

When I heard that literaally was used to mean figuratively, I was literally eaten by mosquitoes.

Grateful thanks to you, Jon Stubbs, for your insightful remarks. I hadn't considered the international ubiquity ("Look that up in your Funk & Wagnalls," to borrow a phrase from the 1960's TV hit comedy series, "Laugh In") of English.

I also appreciate your reference to "Mother Tongue." It is indeed a delightful book. Author Bryson even had the audacity to use the word I was afraid to use when he wrote, "English is full of booby traps." Bravo. Literally.

Richard wrote, "When I heard that literaally was used to mean figuratively, I was literally eaten by mosquitoes."

Hopefully, poor Richard was literally eaten by figurative mosquitoes.

Ouch. That bites.