Some of HU readers may accuse me of using two words when one will suffice, which comes as a surprise to MOI. Surely not?
However, I am not stuck in an etymological time-warp when I feel the urge to point out that the continuous usage of the phrase "China is the epicentre of the corona virus outbreak" is an instance of tautology from the media. Wuhan is not the centre of this outbreak..Epicentre is,as some may know, a geological term for the point of of the earth's surface above the focus of an earthquake. Centron means in Greek sharp point and epi is also Greek for upon or above. So. epicentre is a doubling of the same usage. Journalists may think that this word makes them look clever but it does not. For old codgers like me they are abusing English and making a mountain of a molehill.
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Cateran
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Cateran, I too hate the misuse of words and language in general, although I'm sure I'm as guilty of it as any journalist. 😕
Maybe they had an earthquake at the same time and in true Chinese fashion have delayed the reporting of such an event so as not to cause alarm.If this sort of thing annoys you Terry i hate to think how you would have felt reading The Guardian when it was famous for its abundance of typos and spelling mistakes which made it through the editors office.
So, epicentre works for an earthquake i.e. above a point, but not for an epidemic because we already have the prefix “epi” over or among and demic, of the people. Every day’s a school day!
Love the way the English language can evolve. But as the fairy tale maiden said, you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. There will be many misses for the occasional hit.
I quite agree Ergendl. Which is why the English language is the universal language because it is so adaptable and can absorb new word formations and novel vocabulary. For example, have you come across the word Spanglish, which purports to describe the future of our speak but with formations of the population explosion in central and south America. Could this be a dynamic development?
You are NOT a thicko, far from it. Your postings are an impressive track record over the years. The y speak volumes about your intelligence and social observation, not to mention your extensive knowledge of lung problems and chest medicine.
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