atw: Re: Round-table? [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Hi Deborah

I'm not sure which version you think looks wrong, but to me 'round-table 
discussion' looks OK but 'round-table' on its own looks weird. I think 
when you use it on its own it must be a noun (or strictly a noun phrase), 
so I'd go with the dictionary and make it 'round table'.

I agree with you that the phrase is really used as a substitute for 
'round-table discussion', but instead of thinking of it as a phrase with a 
missing word you could think of it as an example of the rhetorical term 
'metonymy', where you substitute one word for another which it suggests or 
a part for the whole - standard examples are 'the White House' meaning the 
President, or 'the Crown' meaning the Queen, - indeed you could probably 
add (one that most Canberrans would probably loathe) 'Canberra' meaning 
the Federal Government. 

Howard




"Deborah Cross" <Deborah.Cross@xxxxxxxxxx> 
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atw: Round-table? [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]






Greetings All,

I'm struggling with the term: round-table.

Our style guide says we adhere to the Australian Oxford Dictionary.  My
interpretation of the entry for round-table is that the noun is round
table, but the adjective is round-table.  Can anyone confirm?

It just looks wrong to me.  Can round table really be a noun anyway?
Isn't it always an adjective and people using it as a noun are just
trying to short cut the complete phrase round-table discussion?

Would be lovely if it was always just one word: roundtable.  Then I
wouldn't have to worry!

Please be gentle, I come from the generation that had no grammatical
instruction whatsoever.

Deborah :o)
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