[lit-ideas] "-Er" Words and Essences
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 09:30:08 EDT
In a message dated 10/6/2004 4:28:19 AM Eastern Standard Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> Exactly. Note that a computer, essentially, computes.
No, it doesn't - not anymore than we might say a computer "essentially"
remains in stand-by mode, or switched off at night, or in a skip or rubbish
heap when it is junked, or "essentially" excites the wrath of the user to the
point they want to kick its windscreen in.
> While a word-processor word-processes (words).
Not anymore than it "essentially" reflects light, costs money, will break
down eventually etc.
-----
Okay. We seem to face here a big misunderstanding.
It is my contention that, in English, words ending in "-er" signal the
essence of the referent.
E.g. "Britney Spears is a singer" signifies her essence.
As Liza Minnelli once put it,
"Problem with America, is that they pigeonhole. If you sing, you are a
singer; if you dance, you are a dancer; if you act, you are an actress. And
I'm good at the three. How do you call me?"
Cheers,
JL
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