Well, Chris, perhaps this comment on usage from Oxford? I read it as being
a concession to the idea that usage of unique, isn't... unique. :-)
"Usage
There is a set of adjectives
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/adjective>
—including
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/include>
*unique*, *complete
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/complete>*
, *equal*, and *perfect
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/perfect>*—whose
core meaning
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/meaning>
embraces
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/embrace>
a mathematically
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/mathematical>
absolute
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/absolute>
concept
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/concept> and
which therefore
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/therefore>
, according
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/accord> to
a traditional
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/traditional>
argument
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/argument>,
cannot be modified
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/modify>
by adverbs
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/adverb> such
as *really
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/really>*,
*quite*, or *very
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/very>*. For
example
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/example>,
since the core meaning
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/meaning>
of *unique* (from Latin
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/Latin> ‘one’)
is ‘being only
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/only> one
of its kind,’ it is logically
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/logical>
impossible
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/impossible>,
the argument
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/argument>
goes,
to submodify
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/submodifier>
it:
it either is ‘unique’ or it is not, and there are no stages in between. In
practice
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/practice>,
the situation
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/situation> in
the language is more complex
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/complex> than
this. Words
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/word>
like *unique* have a core sense
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/sense>,
but they often also
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/also> have
a secondary, less precise
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/precise>
(nonabsolute) sense
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/sense> of
‘very remarkable
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/remarkable>
or unusual
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/unusual>,’
as in *a really
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/really>
unique opportunity
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/opportunity>*.
It is advisable
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/advisable>,
however, to use
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/use>
*unique* in this sense
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/sense>
sparingly
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/sparing> and
not to modify
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/modify> it
with *very
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/very>*,
*quite*, *really
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/really>*,
etc. <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/etc.>
"
From:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/unique
On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 7:28 AM, ChrisB <ftog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Scott, although I accept your right to consult such dictionaries, I do not
> accept its validity – not least because I disagree with it :-)
>
> Chris
>
> > On 1 Mar 2015, at 15:07, Scott Gomez <sgomez.baja@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > I disagree, Chris. I think Nathan's use easily fits use cases 2 and 3 as
> > set forth here:
> >
> > http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unique <
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unique>
>
> --
> _________________________________________________________________
> Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
> Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
> Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
>
>
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|