The Wichita Eagle daily newspaper carries a supplement within each Sunday edition, Parade. Parade has little to recommend it being mostly populated by "pop culture" déchets (doesn't that sound classier than garbage?) The one thing that I seek out to read each Sunday is the column Ask Marilyn, by Marilyn vos Savant. While the column raises the standards of Parade, it is usually beneath Ms vos Savant who, years ago was advertised (not by herself) as being the most intelligent person alive at the time. It may have been true, then, and it may still be true for all I know - or care. She gives abundant evidence of, at the very least, being a logical person.
Today's column hit my core. It addresses English usage that has been bugging me for years. Such use started to be seen/heard in the world of advertising; but, over the years, has crept more and more into the popular parlance and even into academic writings. Ach, mein Got! (Bogie: If I'm going to thumb my nose at pop culture, I have to do a bang-up job of it! We'll let Stu tell me that I missed the mark.)
A question had been sent in to Ms vos Savant by Jack Clark in North Carolina.
I have always associated multiplication with addition (more), and division with subtraction (less), so I don't understand current phrases such as "three times less" and "twice as small." Can you explain?
Ms vos Savant replied.
Yes. Those phrases, which make many of us wince when we hear newscasters and commentators use them, are just plain mathematically illiterate! In arithmetic, the term "times" means "instances of," in the way "two times three" means "two instances of three," or six. A person who says "three times less" probably means "one-third as much," and one who says "twice as small" likely means "half as small." In short, they have it backward!
Thank you, Ms vos Savant! I only wish that a kindred type of phrase had been also addressed: a phrase in which one says "five times more" when they actually mean "five times" - or - "four times more".
MvS is a right write-rite wright :-)
Posted by: Ole Phat Stu | February 22, 2016 at 07:17 AM
Stu--Agggghhhh!
Posted by: Cop Car | February 22, 2016 at 09:12 AM
Bravo. Although our local newscasters would make me happy if they would just pronounce common words correctly. Using arithmetic terms correctly in speech is probably asking too much.
Posted by: Ingineer66 | February 22, 2016 at 10:07 PM
I once was asked to type a manuscript for the book's author who was taking television broadcasters to task for tacking "wise" on to words -- weather-wise, news-wise -- and as the author said, wise-wise, he found this very annoying. His book was never published and he is now deceased.
Posted by: Joared | February 23, 2016 at 12:17 AM
Ingineer--Undoubtedly, you are correct.
Joared--Otherwise, how did you like working with the author? (Couldn't resist!)
Posted by: Cop Car | February 25, 2016 at 01:15 PM
Well, I have the math brain of a chicken, so I'm just confused by all this.
Posted by: Hattie | February 25, 2016 at 11:22 PM
Marilyn has been in the Parade forever - or at least from when I first started getting the Sunday paper in the 80's (I no longer bother with it). I always read her column and was saddened that thru the years they gave her less and less space. Early on she had room for several questions/answers. Then they cut her space so that it was usually only one - if a column ran at all that week.
Posted by: bogie | February 27, 2016 at 04:16 PM
Hattie--I'll accept your confusion with mathematical lingo if you'll forgive my lack of understanding of most things artistic. *smiling*
Bogie--Your dad really enjoys her Numbrix puzzles. Not being a game person, I ignore them.
Posted by: Cop Car | February 28, 2016 at 02:07 PM
Cop Car -- As for working with the author -- he was actually a standup comedian, radio broadcaster, TV talk show host, TV/movie actor, occasional college instructor-- but words such as 'otherwise' or 'likewise' which were more commonly in use were acceptable to him. A topic to gain media attention of the people using 'weather-wise' who might talk about it on air would be good free advt I suppose, though he didn't say that. I think he was just trying to juice up some controversy to garner attention as constantly promoting himself was part of his professional survival mechanism.
Posted by: Joared | March 02, 2016 at 01:00 AM