Rick Goldstein

#CrankyOldMan Peeve of the Day:
Heard a NYT nterviewer used the expression “taking a different tact” to mean “using a different approach”. I'm generally a fan of linguistic descriptivism over prescriptivism, and there is no loss of meaning here, so I shouldn't care.

But the word is TACK, as in “direction of sail across/into the wind”, not TACT, as in “speaking to avoid insult”.

Ok, I'm done. Sorry for the interruption. Carry on.

#language #meaning #screamingintothevoid

Mar 14 at 8:49pmWeb
Show threadRichard PaulMar 14
@rickgoldstein As someone who spoke out loud (including on the radio) for 35 years; consider the glottal stop, and offer some grace.
Show threadRick GoldsteinMar 15

@Spacehistory I’m not sure I understand that. This particular instance was very precisely enunciated. I hear this particular word substitution than not these days. It seems more likely that people are just moving to a word that is much more familiar, because everybody understands what they're trying to say, even if the meaning of that single word isn't quite sensible in that phrase.

I accept that usage changes, but I don't have to like it :)

Show threadRichard PaulMar 14
@rickgoldstein Unless they’re generally an idiot. Then you can rage away.
Show threadRick GoldsteinMar 15
@Spacehistory Nah. It was a good interview on substance.