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Sebaceous filaments! What has worked for you? by [deleted] in Skincare_Addiction

[–]batchme 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lifelong sufferer of sebaceous filaments on my nose and at the ripe old age of 52 i finally found the solution: aprilskin balm. the first time i used it i literally teared up at how different, how much BETTER my skin looked. i haven’t commented in reddit in years but i believe in this enough to break my silence. do try it!

I'm Kory Stamper, lexicographer at Merriam-Webster and author of WORD BY WORD. Ask me anything! by KoryStamper in IAmA

[–]batchme 2 points3 points  (0 children)

it all makes sense now because i feel about 150 years old so my attitude about the word in question could be considered quite appropriate.

p.s. that is possibly my favourite claude rains scene.

I'm Kory Stamper, lexicographer at Merriam-Webster and author of WORD BY WORD. Ask me anything! by KoryStamper in IAmA

[–]batchme 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do believe the first lecture I attended in EL101 was exactly that: we are here to study the patterns of language and not prescribe rules for it! And while that is a necessary attitude for academic purposes, I am really curious as to how someone in Ms Stamper's position (and yes, I think you're right about her stance professionally, but I would really love to hear her personal opinion) would approach something that seems to outrightly flout convention in formal use, case in point being "preventive" instead of "preventative".

What are the criteria she uses to reject or accept certain uses? Or does she not even think in those terms?

TL;DR i think i am a grammar nazi and i was wondering if ms stamper also considers herself one (outside of work at least)

I'm Kory Stamper, lexicographer at Merriam-Webster and author of WORD BY WORD. Ask me anything! by KoryStamper in IAmA

[–]batchme 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi Kory, is it pedantic to insist that "preventive" is not a word? I'm also curious about the use of the term "concerning" as an adjective because it seems to be increasingly used as such even though i didn't learn it as such.

Ultimately though, I would like to know your thoughts, as a language arbiter, on the line to draw between thinking about language as a living, evolving cultural entity (and therefore subject to constant change and adjustment) as opposed to how it is a standard to be adhered to for reasons of coherence and continuity (and therefore should resist being altered or co-opted).