Yeninko of the Umlaut

Tuesday, September 07, 2004

Ironically...

I have this going gag that the words ironic, irony, and ironically are perhaps the most difficult words in the English language to use correctly (okay they’re are a few others that are harder then that but still its difficult). In any case I found dictionary.com usage note helpful:
The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply “coincidental” or “improbable,” in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York. Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market, where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency.

Damn you Alanis Morissette!!!

1 Comments:

  • The British seem to think it's an American problem: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3433375.stm, even if Alanis is a canuck.

    And I agree. Rain on your wedding day is not ironic unless you are trained as a meteorologist. But many of us Canadians have disavowed Alanis since she was known as just Alanis.

    -Reuben

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:45 PM  

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