• "All but..." and how no one has any idea what it actually means!
    88 replies, posted
[QUOTE=johnlukeg;22298429]"Anything but" is more applicable for your definition. "The prospect of him returning to this project is anything but dead" means he will most likely return to the project. The most common usage of "all but" in that sentence would mean that it's incredibly unlikely that he'll return to the project. You need to remember that the "correct" usage of a language is however society uses and records it.[/QUOTE] so, we found another synonymous term for this context. well... you've got to remember that All=Everything straight out. Anything is more of a foggy term, but it is also correct using it for this term. you're good, very good:clint:
[img]http://www.crazybobs.net/img/shutitdown.jpg[/img]
I don't know about anyone else, but the contradiction "could care less" annoys me far more than this does. [quote=Example] Pot smoker: "Did you hear that they're considering legalizing weed nation-wide?" Non-smoker: "Yes, but I could care less."[/quote] :bang:
[QUOTE=dgg;22278365]It means everything except for being dead. He may be beat to hell, he may look like something I spewed out last year, he may not be able to talk, but he's all but dead. His heart is beating and his lungs are breathing.[/QUOTE] That's fine and dandy but there are many phrases in English that don't make much sense when you think about them. "Have a seat" comes to mind. How exactly is that supposed to mean "sit"? It doesn't. Yet it does.
I don't understand why all but would mean nearly, and I think it's only gotten that meaning because people have used it wrongly for such a long time. All but is two different words that make perfect sense alone, not one expression that has arbritrary meaning.
If people know what you mean and don't have to strain in order to understand you, who gives a shit? The English language changes and evolves based on how words are used in REAL LIFE. That may be the "official" definition now, but it'll be changed soon if enough people use it the "wrong" way.
I never use "all but" because the meaning seems too inconsistent. I've seen it used a few different ways and it seems many people have different definitions of what it means.
[QUOTE=Fourm Shark;22305955]John was good at work. He dead. He is all, but he is dead so no.[/QUOTE] excuse me, but where did you buy your sentence stucturizer and context injector? i can't find heads and tails in that sentence. [QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;22308489]I never use "all but" because the meaning seems too inconsistent. I've seen it used a few different ways and it seems many people have different definitions of what it means.[/QUOTE] i think it's quite clear what it means. Don't let people fool you, just understand the words. All= everything, But=except (in this context). easy as pie.
Can you please respond to the "languages evolve" arguement?
[QUOTE=wewt!;22309472]Can you please respond to the "languages evolve" arguement?[/QUOTE] yes they do. but mostly they're modernized, abbreviated or slang is made official/valid. never has it been allright to turn a terms meaning 180 just because the people who use it don't get what they're actually saying. think about how you get annoyed when people meassure their computer agains yours with the size of the harddrive and call it the "power of my computer" there's what we have here in a different disguise. this isn't lingual evolution, this is retardation spreading around because, it seems, only few americans know what their own big words (in this case, very short synonyms) mean. i'm quite sure that very few brittish people agree with this particular usage of the term since it's the directly opposite meaning. this mistake equals to telling a girl that she's butt ugly when you actually mean she's pretty. it's the excact same kind of mistake. i don't care what you think, no lingual evolution will make this the right way to charm a girl. inbreeding will.
Actually, noone seems to complain about the phrase " I don't know nothin' about that" [editline]09:16PM[/editline] Or "near miss" (except for George Carlin, and he used it as a comedy shtick)
the "Ain't No" is piss annoying too. but it's slang and only ever used in a fitting context. it's still sounds stupid, but it is often used in stupid company anyway. what i mean to say is, it's gangsta of origin and originates from slang. All But originates from barely educated slugs trying to sound wise. What's bothering me with this "all but..." thing is that highly educated individuals fuck it up. i can't take anyone seriously if they don't know what they're saying.
So words used by educated people can't evolve anymore becuase they're not slang? :v:
[QUOTE=wewt!;22310506]So words used by educated people can't evolve anymore becuase they're not slang? :v:[/QUOTE] Words with a specific, recognized meaning used in reverse is not acceptable when the rest of the world know the meaning to be the opposite of what the "proud as hell" American thinks he's saying. Can't you just accept that lack of education gave birth to this mistake. The big difference is that the "ain't no" people know full well that what they're saying makes no sence unless you're savvy with what they're saying. the "all but" think's they've got the pants on when they use this term, untill the real meaning of it is made clear. it means "everything except" and it does so for 90% of this world. dumb people playing with big words have done this and you have a lot of mouthy people in America... actually, your language is a great witness of this since much of it is a mess of mixed meanings and self contradictory sentence structures, especially in the south. Seriously, why is it so hard to accept that what you're/they're saying is blabber? you do know what a synonym is? you do know that all but and everything but are synonyms? you do know what happens when kids learn big words they don't know? (they use it wrongly)
[QUOTE=Bomimo;22310718]Words with a specific, recognized meaning used in reverse is not acceptable when the rest of the world know the meaning to be the opposite of what the "proud as hell" American thinks he's saying. Can't you just accept that lack of education gave birth to this mistake. The big difference is that the "ain't no" people know full well that what they're saying makes no sence unless you're savvy with what they're saying. the "all but" think's they've got the pants on when they use this term, untill the real meaning of it is made clear. it means "everything except" and it does so for 90% of this world. dumb people [B]playing with big words have done this and you have a lot of mouthy people in America... actually, your language is a great witness of this [/B]since much of it is a mess of mixed meanings and self contradictory sentence structures ("there ain't no niggers in this room bredda"). I'm sorry to break this to you, but the most consistent and best reference for English with the most clear meanings is British English. Seriously, why is it so hard to accept that what you're/they're saying is blabber?[/QUOTE] Had you read your own thread you'd have known that I'm not from the US. (I'm Slovenian) Also, **sense, not "sence" Skipping the semantics though, it is my opinion that phrases should be more dynamic and considering how the incorrect use of "all but" that you given an example of isn't as big of a mistake as, for example, "could of", I can forgive it as long as it makes the language flow easier.
[QUOTE=Sitkero;22277148]But English is just so [I]hard[/I] :saddowns:[/QUOTE] You know what else is hard? :smug:
[QUOTE=wewt!;22310878]Had you read your own thread you'd have known that I'm not from the US. Also, **sense, not "sence" Skipping the semantics though, it is my opinion that phrases should be more dynamic and considering how the incorrect use of "all but" that you given an example of isn't as big of a mistake as, for example, "could of", I can forgive it as long as it makes the language flow easier.[/QUOTE] Yes, Yes, agree to some extend. if i can comprehend what he's TRYING to tell me, I'll not be bothered. and, yes, my grammar, spelling and all that shit is right down the shitter. but it seems that my linguistic perception and understanding is pristine. It's not a big deal if you're American or not, it's just where it started. [quote=above poster]You know what else is hard? :smug:[/quote] not mistaking "gold member" for a "free trolling" card... or, that's what i hear about the GM forum. [sp]your dick i guess[/sp]
I think some incorrect uses of "all but" fit in the acceptable level of "some extent".
[QUOTE=Gmod4ever;22306072]I don't know about anyone else, but the contradiction "could care less" annoys me far more than this does. :bang:[/QUOTE] I always thought it was "I couldn't care less".
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;22278282]C) Stop trying to be elitistic, it's annoying.[/QUOTE] :irony:
I understand what you're talking about, but it's not a big deal. Like you said, no one cares, so there's no reason to get in a big fuss about it. Also: [QUOTE=Bomimo;22277052] I'm not posting this because of a single incident. there's just too many high profile characters that have no clue about this and i see this sometimes on FP too. [B]yes, no one cares, not even i do... it's still annoying though.[/B] and this is how it is, get over your failed education then. [/QUOTE] You kind of contradicted yourself there though.
If you are everything except dead, then wouldn't you be the opposite of being dead?
"All but dead" means that you are "anything besides being dead." which means it is not dead at all. K?
Get out of here grammar.
[QUOTE=Kalibos;22277129]no all but dead means like the possibility is still there, but its prospects are very low at this moment (like as low as they could possibly be without flat-out saying no) as in the prospects for this happening are all but dead[/QUOTE] It also mean "anything but dead." But it is normally used that way. It can mean both, this is what context is for.
Eh? It's pretty obvious that it is meant that it has gone every step of the way towards being dead save the actual act of dying.
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