Usage Determines Meaning—Ad Nauseam

by Jun 2, 2009Culture, Personal1 comment

Usage, ah, Usage… What a fickle goddess! No hobgoblin of little minds are you!

At the end of blog posts for the last few years (notably those of JT), bloggers have been including “Hat Tips,” little acknowledgments to other bloggers who have supplied the author with a good link. Something like this:

HT: John Doe

A “hat tip,” of course, is a metaphor for acknowledgment. “HT: John Doe” means “I tip my hat to John Doe (for bringing this link to my attention).”

But, O Usage! What hast thou done? I just got an e-mail from a friend to whom I’d sent a link:

“I will try it! Thanks for the HT.”

Do you see what has happened? “HT” has taken on the meaning of “a tip, especially a worthwhile Internet link.” That meaning fits blog posts just fine, but it’s not the original intent of the metaphor. At this point I hesitate to call my friend’s usage of “HT” a malapropism because it struck me as quite natural. “HT,” a brand new coinage, is already shifting its meaning. Fascinating.

Read More 

Why My Church Has Closed

Why My Church Has Closed

I am an extremely minor public figure, sort of semi-public. Sort of like the Richard Dean Anderson of redheaded Christian YouTubers. The guy you sort of think maybe you’ve heard of, but you can’t place him. So I need to make a small semi-public statement about the...

Answer a Fool According to His Folly, or Answer Not?

Answer a Fool According to His Folly, or Answer Not?

I want to talk through a super common issue on the internet. I invite your wisdom and input; I also invite your prayer. Because I want and need—desperately need—divine wisdom for whether and how to answer all kinds of internet comments from all kinds of strangers with...

Leave a comment.

1 Comment
  1. Dustin Battles

    Do I get royalties on my quote? 😉