(no subject)

[badstar]

I did not sit through 13+ years of learning to speak, read and write the English language only to be told that anyone can pick any word they want, assign any meaning to it they want, and expect it to be accepted. Yeah, "language evolves" but sorry, your personal not liking it because of your assumed definition based only on the first two letters- which by the way, is not how the word is defined- is not a legitimate reason.

Comments

[resident-geek.livejournal.com]

OK, you gotta spill. I'm dying over here to know what word it is and what new meaning.

[fuego.livejournal.com]

Eh, it's not really anything all that special or great, or even amusing. Sorry.

My post in general is in reference to many people's (specifically many pagans, because that's where I usually encounter this) tendency to take words that they don't like based on incomplete or incorrect meanings and decide to assign the same meaning to a different word, or give the same word another meaning.

Religion and worship are two very common words subject to this treatment.

However the words in question that prompted this particular post are patron/matron.

The particular instance was that someone made a post on a list bitching about how she hates people referring to "patron goddesses" instead of calling them "matron"

I responded in respect to the actual meanings of the words, explained that it's a common misconception that "matron" and "patron" are feminine and masculine forms of the same word becauseone starts with ma- and the other with pa-, provided dictionary definitions as well as etymologies and explained that "patroness" is the feminine form of "patron" and in the case of a goddess, either "patron/ess" or "matron" or both could be applicable, depending on how one is referring to the goddess in question.

So the response from one person was literally "sod the dictionary. words are defined however someone chooses to use them."

I guess what gets to me the most about stuff like this is that just about every time this sort of issue comes up, it's from someone who doesn't actually know or think about what the words mean. Yeah, I'm gonna be bitchy here and say if you can't bother to find out what the word actually means to begin with, you've got no right to go foisting a new definition on it and doubly no right to bitch if you don't like my commonly-accepted-as-correct use.

[blaisepascal]

Words are defined based on their usage, and the dictionary is supposed to reflect accepted usage.

However, your respondent reflects the attitude of Humpty Dumpty, so I guess she's in good company.

[ranger-hotsauce.livejournal.com]

So wait, they're bitching because someone isn't using a word the way they think it should be used, but then they reply to you by saying that words can be used any way people want to use them?
*headdesk*

[liritsvoice.livejournal.com]

must be great to make up your own rules. i wanna try that!!!!! from now on, i'm speaking only in elvin. or something. yeah.
;-)

[pagandenma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that issue gets confusing due to Latin. Mater (mother) and Pater (father) are the root words Matron and Patron came from, so it creates the confusion. Oh well. *sigh*

[sherarara.livejournal.com]

Well, technically we get them from matrona, matronae and patronus, patroni, which tend to refer to gods and goddesses more frequently after we move into the Empire . . .

Oy, I'm such a classics dork :(

[sherarara.livejournal.com]

Well, if you want me to Classicist out on you . . .

From the OLD:
matrona, matronae [mater+ona]: A. 1. a married woman, matron 2. as a title of Juno/in pl. refers to a group of Celtic deities 3. applied familiarly to young girls of superior rank. B. a wife

From the OED:
matron: [< Anglo-Norman matrone matron, married woman (c1240), Middle French matrone married woman (c1223 in Old French), (Roman) matron (mid 14th cent.), midwife (14th cent. as mathronne) < classical Latin m{amac}tr{omac}na matron, married woman, wife < m{amac}tr-, m{amac}ter mother (see MATRI-) + -{omac}na, after patr{omac}nus PATRON n. Cf. Italian matrona (14th cent.), Spanish matrona (1438), Portuguese matrona (16th cent.).]

1. a. Originally: a married woman, esp. one of mature years (usually with connotation of dignity, propriety, and moral or social rank). In later use also: a woman having the characters (esp. of build and disposition) usually associated with the mother of a large family, or a matriarch.
b. Christian Church. A married female saint. Cf. VIRGIN n. 1. Now arch. and rare.