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veyd t1_j7gq2gj wrote

Reply to comment by brownredgreen in Tired of parking placard abuse? The DOT is holding a public hearing on some new rules that target parking placard abuse in loading zones on the 7th, and there aren't nearly enough comments. You can comment on the site, via email, or attend the hearing. by ThoolooExpress

The “right” or “wrong” definition of a thing doesn’t really matter when you’re talking about the context of how a term is being used.

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brownredgreen t1_j7gw9p7 wrote

Speakers of language are capable of using language incorrectly.

Saying "LIC isnt part of the outer boros" is a misuse of language

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veyd t1_j7gwy3i wrote

Irrelevant to the discussion. The statement was that the term has started to only to be used in a manner that excludes neighborhoods close to Manhattan, not what the dictionary has to say about it.

Language is ever evolving. Describing it in terms of “right and wrong” is only useful academically.

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brownredgreen t1_j7gy0w7 wrote

Individuals dont get to redefine words.

Calling my shoes Gavagai doesn't make it so.

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veyd t1_j7h4bqf wrote

This is a laughably awful take.

Historians can give you enormous lists of words that have changed meanings over time, starting with an influential local colloquial meaning that spread to the rest of the speakers of that language. This is how dialects and, eventually, new languages are born. How do you think the Romance languages emerged from Latin?

Awful and awesome, for instance, used to be synonyms, and awesome meaning “great” was a relatively recent linguistic change. Meaning of the word cool changing due to slang usage is another obvious example.

These changes start with individuals using words and phrases in different ways, and those changes being spread by word of mouth. People can, do and historically have changed the meaning of words.

In short, /u/brownredgreen - what you just typed was one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

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brownredgreen t1_j7hp8lz wrote

People =/= a person

People change language. A person does not.

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