Response to Steve

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• steve

[paulinobrener]

Hello. I do have respect for academic linguists and I appreciate your passion for your field of study.

I also have respect for some dictionaries like Merriam-Webster.

These are its definitions of Linguist:

Definition of LINGUIST

1: a person accomplished in languages; especially : one who speaks several languages

2: a person who specializes in linguistics

Would Merriam-Webster put at # 1 a definition that is "not standard"?

[ResponseParker]

@paulinobrener The idea is to prevent accidentally ascribing certain qualifications to himself. That's all! Most people who hear the term "linguistics" (even here at home in Western New York) instantly think of the field of linguistics. When I tell people I'm studying to be a linguist, all of them understand me (I know this due to the questions they ask afterward) as proclaiming my will to specialize in the field of linguistics. No one has ever asked me about my own multilingualism due to this.

[LittleLangs]

P.S. When I had cats..I remember the little bastards often being on the table. It surely came up in conversation haha :D

[LittleLangs]

I'm from Australia and I've never heard anyone use 'linguist' to mean a multilingual person. Perhaps someone does, but I've never personally heard it (and I've been around many parts of the country and have spoken to people in many different social groups.)

I think the problem here is that when we are talking about languages and linguistics, to resolve any ambiguity (which I have never witnessed) one uses 'linguist' for the scientist and 'polyglot' '*lingual' for someone speaking multile langs.

[paulinobrener]

@ResponseParker Yes, I get that. And it's cool you are defending your field. But if you go by evidence (dictionaries) he is right, too! :-) I think in the end people learn more about a certain person (with follow up question, following a blog, etc.) and learn more what the person is about. Linguist Steve is about learning multiple languages. Linguist Parker is about specializing int he field of linguistics.

[SkeenBot5000]

@paulinobrener Then If I understand everything clearly, then I would say those in the university study of linguistics are a little arrogant to say that their definition is standard over the Webster definition. similarly, anyone who says that having command of several languages is the one and only standard, is also arrogant and equally incorrect. Dictionaries have multiple definitions of words for a reason, that's because words gain more definitions over time as they are used in different ways.

[paulinobrener]

@SkeenBot5000 That's my understanding. But if I understood @ResponseParker correctly he seems to argue that M-W's Definition # 1 is "not standard".

[SkeenBot5000]

@paulinobrener I would say both are appropriate usages of the term. Both definitions are in the dictionary for a reason, and that's because it can be applied to either or.

[LearningFrenchNow]

Why would someone need to be "careful" about using a word the way that it is defined in a dictionary?