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WordlessNature
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Language Poll
#7975370 - 02/03/08 09:14 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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I ask, do we stand to benefit socially, culturally, and individually by removing the word "should" from the English language?
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NiamhNyx
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It seems like it would be nonsensical to remove it completely, but it should probably be used a lot less. Hah. It seems like a good idea to just can it with all the guilt mongering.
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WordlessNature
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Re: Language Poll [Re: NiamhNyx]
#7975429 - 02/03/08 09:25 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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Nonsensical because it would seem an impractical action, I suppose... But this is purely hypothetical, therefore it's ok for it to be practically nonsensical.
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MushmanTheManic
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It is not possible.
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NiamhNyx
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True.
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WordlessNature
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remember, possibility is not the issue. Assuming it is possible, would we be better off without it...
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MushmanTheManic
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(I am assume we would get rid of the word "ought", too.)
"Ought" statements have an important role in human communication. It would be hard to give advice if without some variant of, "If you want to achieve X, you ought to Y."
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elbisivni

Registered: 10/01/06
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what if we replace "should" with "might could"? that way we can only refer to it in the future tense.
-------------------- From dust you are made and to dust you shall return.
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NiamhNyx
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Without the word should, how would we reframe the giving of advice? I guess one could say "I recommend" or "from my perspective the best course of action would be"... ok. I think I'm with you.
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Veritas

Registered: 04/15/05
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Re: Language Poll [Re: NiamhNyx]
#7975621 - 02/03/08 10:10 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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How about "if I were in your situation, I would _________"? This seems more like advice from a friend than orders from a drill sergeant.
I don't think that we ever would stop using words like "should," as they are reflective of the values held by our culture. It is interesting to experiment with eliminating words from your daily usage, though, as it really raises one's consciousness of what you regularly communicate to yourself and others. I've experimented with "can't," "should," "time," "fine" and "maybe." The results were very revealing, not because I actually managed to avoid using those words, but because I started noticing what I meant when I used them.
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WordlessNature
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Re: Language Poll [Re: NiamhNyx]
#7975643 - 02/03/08 10:14 PM (15 years, 11 months ago) |
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It is very easy to give advice without using obligatory terms.
"It may be wise ... " "It seems in your best interest to ... " "You may not want to do that."
The use of should simply creates an artificial sense of one particular option being "the right thing, etc...
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MushmanTheManic
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Quote:
WordlessNature said: It is very easy to give advice without using obligatory terms.
"It may be wise ... " "It seems in your best interest to ... " "You may not want to do that."
The use of should simply creates an artificial sense of one particular option being "the right thing, etc...
Isn't that just a nice and subtle way of saying "should?" It sounds less commanding, but the intention of those phrases is clearly to influence another's behavior.
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WordlessNature
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Actually I disagree, because all of those statements are simply openings for a "why?" response. Or, even better, they are followed by explanations. "Should" is directly obligatory in nature, whereas suggestions without that word, even ones which place value in one decision over another, are not.
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