I don’t really consider myself a prescriptivist, but I do belong to the “don’t talk like a jerk” school of linguistics. Generally I take the view that while some “incorrect” usages of English are fine in non-formal settings, e.g. “there’s” for “there are”, ending sentences in prepositions, or not using capitals when you’re on MSN… other usages will make you look like a big moron no matter when you say them!!

Case in point:

Begging the Question
“Beg the question” doesn’t mean “bring up the question”, “raise the question”, “prompt the question”, “demand the question” or “invite the question”.

Rather, “begging the question” (question here in the sense of “issue in point”) is actually a specific type of logical fallacy, often the same as a circular argument, defined in Fowler’s Modern English usage as “the fallacy of founding a conclusion on a basis that as much needs to be proved as the conclusion itself”. It’s usually when you take for granted what you’re trying to prove (that is, your conclusion is implicitly also one of your premises), e.g. “God must exist because the Bible says He does”, or “lying is wrong because people should tell the truth”, but may also be, more generally, when one of your explicit or implicit premises is at least as assumptive or controversial as your conclusion, e.g. “All murder is morally wrong, therefore abortion is morally wrong”.

Use the phrase in this sense!!! If you’re talking about raising a question, then for the good of us all just say “raising a question”. Maybe “beg for the question” kind of means the same as “demand the question”? At a stretch? But the examples I gave are certainly more elegant phrasings and as a bonus they don’t make you look like you don’t know anything about informal logic.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by the letters C and S, as in “Claire is Sick :(”.

Edit: Wikipedia list of common misconceptions is interesting!

- Playing NationStates2 (poorly)
- Getting fat from being at home too much :(
- Resisting the urge to bake for fear of compounding that problem
- Taking antibiotics AGAIN wah
- Waiting to hear back about jobs? At all?? But getting offered some possible highly reputable hourly work via my old mentor teacher which will be great if it happens, and hopefully some casual stuff at my mum’s clinic
- Hoping that my teacher’s registration goes through by Wednesday so I don’t have to do another Mandatory Notification course, laaame
- Cleaning up massively! All my stuff is SO ORGANISED.
- Upgrading to a queen-size bed… with bargains! 50% off on my quilt, two complete sheet sets for $30, 60% off on my quilt cover, 35% off my mattress and free delivery… and $99 bed frame from Ikea to be acquired on Saturday! So many bargains.
- Praising modern medicine. Antibiotics are wonderful!
- Knitting
- WISHING I HAD A JOB

Claire’s #1 Weight Loss Tip:

Write down everything you eat, every day.

If you want to take it further, count the calories.

Obvious but effective!

I am bored because MSN is dead :(

I had a nap with my hand under my head, and this happened!!

BLUE. These were taken like 20 minutes after I woke up too… it’s fading now, but still not gone. PRETTY COOL.

Today is the first day in what must be months that I don’t feel sick or pain in hardly any way at all. Success!!

Unfortunately I am still all stressed out and angsty :(

Goddamnit I wish my body would stop fucking me over!!!

Hmmmmmmmassignments.

Edit: And I’m sick again :( Fourth time on drugs this month. My body keeps screwing me over :( Not really handling it so well any more :( It’s exhausting and it’s freaking me out that I can’t get it to stop :(

Mum: Have you lost weight? You’re looking a bit… swan-like.
Claire: Nuh, I’ve weighed the same for like a year.
Mum: Well, fair enough. You don’t need to lose anything.
Claire: Hum. My BMI is totally borderline though, it’s like 24.5.
Mum: Yeah, I don’t hold with the BMI at all (n.b. my mum is a GP). That’s crazy.
Claire: I’m allowed to weigh 48kg before I am underweight!
Mum: Well isn’t that ridiculous! Look at you! What is there to lose?!

Daaaamn.

Anyway, today Josh came over and literally sat next to me going “100 more reps words, okay now 100 more, look you’re nearly done!” until I finished an entire assignment! And then he made me start the next one. So now, I only have 4.5 more to finish in the next week!

Well “only”. But still it was good.

Hm so last week I had tonsillitis. I took antibiotics, it went away in time for the long weekend.

The long weekend was Good and I was not Sick.

Then I started feeling bleh again when I got home last night.

…MY TONSILLITIS IS BACK.

WHAT THE HELL, THROAT.

Third time being sick in six weeks :(

I think these are some fairly clear orders from my immune system to stop messing it around!

Which is fair enough, because I have been stressing out a lot and sleeping little.

But dear immune system: I will stop messing you around when all my ten (10) assignments are done… making me sick doesn’t get them done faster, stupid!!