tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post8416450768836499603..comments2024-03-19T07:10:27.303-07:00Comments on Quark Soup by David Appell: What I Learned Yesterday About the Word "Denier"David Appellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03318269033139447591noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-449595822942247222014-12-22T17:20:20.306-08:002014-12-22T17:20:20.306-08:00Blair:
You parried my snark deftly; points for th...Blair:<br /><br />You parried my snark deftly; points for that.<br /><br />However, all the dictionaries I looked at included "homosexual" as one definition of gay, along with the older definitions. It is the job of dictionary writers, after all, to keep up with changes in the language.<br /><br />Regarding "de-NI-er", I won't budge: that word has no exclusive tie to the Holocaust. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.Chris_Winterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14664395947020918727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-68202433522713533442014-12-21T16:04:43.259-08:002014-12-21T16:04:43.259-08:00Chris, you are quite right the number is in the ra...Chris, you are quite right the number is in the range of 100s to 1000s and that is me typing poorly. As for use of the dictionary "gay" still says happy and many other terms that have a common usage are not represented in the dictionary with their common interpretations.<br /><br />Finally as for a denier (the measurement)that is a french term and has an entirely different pronunciation (almost the same as the french pronunciation of last) and would never be mistaken for a word with a root of deny. Blairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14439598281608282361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-47693918299868393772014-12-21T11:40:40.920-08:002014-12-21T11:40:40.920-08:00Of course, there is an alternate usage (accent on ...Of course, there is an alternate usage (accent on first syllable). The UK shop <a href="http://www.mytights.com/us/hosieryadvice-denier-information/" rel="nofollow">MyTights</a> puts it this way: "Technically denier relates to the weight (i.e. thickness) of the yarn from which hosiery is woven, (in case you are interested, 1 denier means that 9,000 meters of yarn weighs 1 gram). Generally the lower the denier, the sheerer the appearance and the more fragile the tights."<br /><br />So, then, a bigger denier means a denser yarn. Sounds fine to me.Chris_Winterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14664395947020918727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-55166382068826152152014-12-21T11:38:25.979-08:002014-12-21T11:38:25.979-08:00The "concerted effort of hundreds of thousand...The "concerted effort of hundreds of thousands"? I'm uh, skeptical of that claim. But if it's true, Blair, I suggest that a few of those hundreds of thousands should get busy informing the dictionaries.<br /><br />RELEVANT DEFINITIONS OF "DENIER" :<br /><br />Collins Dictionary — "a person who denies"<br /><br />Dictionary-dot-com — "a person who denies"<br /><br />The Free Dictionary — "One that denies; a denier of harsh realities"<br /><br />Free Merriam-Webster — "one who denies"<br /><br />Oxford Dictionaries — "A person who denies something, especially someone who refuses to admit the truth of a concept or proposition that is supported by the majority of scientific or historical evidence: a prominent denier of global warming; a climate change denier"<br /><br />Vocabulary-dot-com — "one who denies"<br /><br />Webster's 1913 Dictionary (online) — "One who denies; as, a denier of a fact, or of the faith, or of Christ."<br /><br />Wiktionary — "Person who denies something.<br />* Holocaust denier (see Wikipedia:Holocaust denial)<br />* Global warming denier (see Wikipedia:Global warming denial)<br />* AIDS denier (see Wikipedia:AIDS denial)"<br /><br />WordReference-dot-com — "a person who denies"<br /><br />Your Dictionary — "Denier is defined as someone who refuses to admit something."<br /><br />Lastly, the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (Oxford University Press, 1998) defines the verb "deny" thus: "1 declare untrue or non-existent. 2. repudiate or disclaim. 3 (often foll. by to) withhold (a thing) from (denied him the satisfaction; denied it to me)"Chris_Winterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14664395947020918727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-79113818879869608482014-12-21T07:43:25.464-08:002014-12-21T07:43:25.464-08:00Dave,
Words are re-purposed all the time and wor...Dave, <br /><br />Words are re-purposed all the time and words that had one meaning in the 15th century like say "gay" can have an entirely different usage in a modern context. The use of the term "denier" in the context of Holocaust denial only came to the fore in the last 30 years or so but did so through the concerted effort of hundreds of thousands who wanted to create a label that aptly described the phenomenon. As someone who fought anti-semitism and true "denial" back in the 1980's and 1990' your ahistorical perspective is a clear indication that you should stick to climate and away from etymology. The term "denier" was chosen for use in this field BECAUSE of the efforts to make a denier an outcast based entirely on its use in the context of Holocaust denial. If you want a term "pseudo-skeptic" or put the intellectual effort into re-purposing a word of your own. This one is taken.<br />Blairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14439598281608282361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-82925686952893461142014-12-20T19:14:31.939-08:002014-12-20T19:14:31.939-08:00Dan: I think you're right. People who aren'...Dan: I think you're right. People who aren't amenable to data and basic reason can't be considered "skeptics." <br /><br />Lately I've been using the word "pseudoskeptics...."<br />David Appellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03318269033139447591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-62350080472391836932014-12-20T15:29:32.425-08:002014-12-20T15:29:32.425-08:00I have given this a great deal of thought and skep...I have given this a great deal of thought and skeptic is certainly the wrong term, since any good scientist should be happy to be labeled as one. <br />Denier is the best term for most of these folks, and poorly or miseducated, for a minority of the rest.Dan Satterfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17103428750040230969noreply@blogger.com