Language is an art. You can make it say anything you want it to. Fiction and non-fiction, they just work a little differently. Fiction can be anything you can imagine and manage to describe to readers. Non-fiction relies on explanations. But writers can play with words and make them say or sell anything.
I read this at Wikipedia this morning.
On a side note, I have contributed several times to Wikipedia. Notes like this seem to pop up a few times every year. I do get a little annoyed by the begging and they claim almost no one contributes. Well, I have and this does not make me feel like contributing again. So, it might not be a really smart note to leave up.
The interesting part of this note was "for the first time recently". Of course, they can’t say "for the first time" because the first time was several years ago and this doesn’t even happen once a year any more. So, "for the first time recently". Such a clever way of making it seem like this is a first time, again. But, there can only be one first time. It’s not false advertising and it’s not untrue but it is pretty schemy. I chose not to contribute after reading this.
I appreciate Wikipedia. I don’t appreciate feeling that my past contributions are just a drop in the bucket for them and weren’t enough that they aren’t right back begging again. Also, this scheming with words, doesn’t impress me much.
Bill Casselman researches and writes about Canadian language and words. What words, sayings and language are unique or often heard where you are? You can even listen to what your own family tends to say.
