Hey, no need to get personal!
No, of course I don't use "gotten", as you well know (or you wouldn't have
asked), nor do I particularly like it, but accept it, and more I value its
use by others as an indicator of how the language has developed diversely
from common origins. Think of it as living palaeography-cum-etymology (and
hope that Bob Whitmire doesn't take offence at being given the palaeo-
prefix).
For the same reason I value the numerous malapropisms we face in everyday
usage - they are themselves a pointer to how language develops. Doesn't mean
I don't sneer at the "hiigerance" of the offenders, of course - got to
maintain my own self-importance, eh?
Piers
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Fildes [mailto:afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: 01 February 2011 10:21
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] OT: Use of verbs, was Re: olympus Digest, Vol 27, Issue 31
Ill-gotten and misbegotten are archaic leftovers, used only in very specific
cliches.
Rotten, of course, is the exception that prove the rule.
:-)
Now, tell me Piers, do you like, accept or use 'gotten' yourself? Or
'begotten' for that matter?
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 01/02/2011, at 9:08 PM, Piers Hemy wrote:
> The inconsistency of English was indeed my point Martin!
>
> But in this case I suspect the inconsistency is the verb "get",
> because as well as "forgotten" I can recall "ill-gotten" and
> "misbegotten" as deriving from related verbs.
>
> I suspect Andrew would not accept "rotten" as a further example.
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