Yes, I'm obsessed with language. After my last post about semantics, I'm now expanding your vocabulary with my new favourite word:
Tautology
It essentially means needless repetition, but it's really much more fun than that. Or at least it's fun if you enjoy being a pain in the ass, and really, who doesn't? Here are some fun tautological instances that have come up in my recent past:
I'm always right, except when I'm not right.
Me: You should ask your fish monger.
Friend: What's a fish monger?
Me: A guy who mongers fish.
What is shit? Well, it's shit!
See, isn't it fun? Of course, it's also a very dangerous concept. Tautology adds nothing to a statement but extra words. I love it when used in jest, just to be a smart ass about things. But it's not always appropriate. For instance, you wouldn't want to use tautology to answer a test question (what is the the square root of the hypotenuse? It is the hypotenuse to the 1/2 power).
In any case, I think it's fun. Go forth and enjoy it. Even when it gets annoying, at least you will know what it's called. Hooray!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
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