Topic: Instructor or Pedant
Definition:
Pedant:
1. a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
2. a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
3. a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.
4. Obsolete. a schoolmaster.
I don't think I'm a pedant. But I clearly care more about proper use of words than many people do. It's my belief that if there is a good word or phrase for something, that word or phrase should be used properly. It should not be used to mean something else, and other words should not be substituted, especially if they do not share the same meaning.
In my previous entry, I mentioned that I should write a series of posts about commonly misused words or phrases. While I mentioned "beg the question" as my potential first entry, I've decided to start with "thence."
Definition:
thence:
1. from that place: I went first to Paris and thence to Rome.
2. from that time; thenceforth: He fell ill and thence was seldom seen.
3. from that source: Thence came all our troubles.
4. from that fact or reason; therefore: We were young, and thence optimistic.
I'm starting with "thence" because it is used -- incorrectly -- in the Apostle's Creed in the version of the LCMS hymnal we have used for years. In that version of the creed, it says "On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."
That can't be right. "Thence" means "from that place." This means that the creed is saying "... at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from from that place He shall come..." A double "from" is incorrect.
Now, if you go to the web and search for Apostle's Creed -- even on an LCMS site -- the wording has been corrected. That's good. But for years and years and years the people who have read this have been using the word incorrectly. Yet, because they have seen it in an authoritative text, they assume it's right. And, since it seems to mean "there" (not "FROM there"), they are tempted to use it as a synonym -- and they probably think they sound educated when they misuse it!
Many of my usage peeves are related to this very point -- people try to sound smart by using words or phrases which sound educated, yet in the process they only serve to demonstrate the opposite to the knowledgeable, while spreading their mis-usage to the uninformed.
Here are some other similar words, phrases and pronunciations.
- "beg the question"
- "sojourn"
- "often" -- with a "t"
- "hopefully" -- though this one shows how misuse can cause "acceptability drift."
Perhaps I will get around to posting about them sometime.
Citations:
pedant. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Retrieved October 05, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pedant
thence. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Retrieved October 05, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=thence
Updated: Thursday, 5 October 2006 1:29 PM CDT
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