PADI in SSI out

[olphart]

They list pretty much anything thst is "commonly used" irrespective of whether its usage is correct; words like "ain't" and "y'all" appear as well.

FWIW,
The Oxford English Dictionary also lists it as an adjective as well as a noun.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You'll also be able to teach as an independent now as well. That's a huge plus.

 

[RJP]

You'll also be able to teach as an independent now as well. That's a huge plus.

I know you believe PADI to have fairly lax standards, but even the folks in Rancho Santa Margarita would expect the OP to actually be an instructor before considering teaching independently.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Not as a DM, right? There are some classes he can do now.

---------- Post added July 4th, 2015 at 02:16 PM ----------

Oops, Didn't check his profile. There are several canuks on this board that use the same logo. As a 'merican they all look alike to me.

 

[tursiops]

They list pretty much anything thst is "commonly used" irrespective of whether its usage is correct; words like "ain't" and "y'all" appear as well.

My wife is a professional librarian. She has pointed out to me (several times....) that some dictionaries are not trying to tell you what is "correct," but rather what is currently in use. Merriam-Webster is one of those....it thus fails the test of being a way to tell what is the currently accepted proper use of a word, its focus is telling you what the word means, not whether it is correct to use it. But I hasten to point out that nouns can be used as modifiers of other nouns....that does not make them adjectives! Examples are chicken soup, hospital bed, and library book.

How's THAT for pedantic!

 

[drrich2]

My wife is a professional librarian. She has pointed out to me (several times....) that some dictionaries are not trying to tell you what is "correct," but rather what is currently in use. Merriam-Webster is one of those....it thus fails the test of being a way to tell what is the currently accepted proper use of a word, its focus is telling you what the word means, not whether it is correct to use it.

Ah, but language arises from a people who use it. Dictionaries may try to codify term.s & usage, but if a large people group use a word in a particular way that conveys a universally accepted meaning, by what source are they overruled? What makes them 'wrong?'

Richard.

 

[tursiops]

I don't want to completely derail the whole thread, but according to Merriam-Webster the word quality can be used as an adjective.
Quality | Definition of quality by Merriam-Webster

Ah, but language arises from a people who use it. Dictionaries may try to codify term.s & usage, but if a large people group use a word in a particular way that conveys a universally accepted meaning, by what source are they overruled? What makes them 'wrong?'

Richard.

Editors and publishers and English teachers.

First it changes in the spoken language, then maybe moves into the written language, then maybe gets "accepted" as "correct."
The fact that lots of people say (or believe) something, does not make it correct.

 

[RJP]

But I hasten to point out that nouns can be used as modifiers of other nouns....that does not make them adjectives! Examples are chicken soup, hospital bed, and library book.

How's THAT for pedantic!

Well played! But I was talking about the fact that "quality" as a noun can't be properly used to modify "instruction" rather than a blanket statement that nouns can't be used to modify other nouns.

Though, technically speaking, if you want to get pedantic we can get into the subtle but important differences between a "noun" a "noun modifier" and an "adjective" - perhaps over a California Cabernet or an ice-cold beer? (See what I did there?)

---------- Post added July 4th, 2015 at 03:55 PM ----------

Ah, but language arises from a people who use it. Dictionaries may try to codify term.s & usage, but if a large people group use a word in a particular way that conveys a universally accepted meaning, by what source are they overruled? What makes them 'wrong?'

Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style"
The American Heritage Book of English Usage
The Chicago Manual of Style
The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage
The AMA Manual Of Style
The Associated Press Stylebook
Lynch's "Guide To Grammar & Usage"
Publication Manual of The APA
The Business Style Handbook
The Gregg Reference Manual
The MLA Handbook For Writers
The CSE Manual For Authors, Editors, and Publishers

That's off the top of my head, for American English. There are more, and they all have their counterparts for British, Canadian, and Australian English as well.

 

[drrich2]

Editors and publishers and English teachers.

But by what power do they have ownership of the language, & the people do not? Do they assign meaning, or rather attempt to codify it?

First it changes in the spoken language, then maybe moves into the written language, then maybe gets "accepted" as "correct."
The fact that lots of people say (or believe) something, does not make it correct.

That's true when the matter at hand has an objective reality. But words are fairly arbitrary in & of themselves; they are made by people in order to convey ideas. It's the people that give meaning to the words.

A word might have different meanings in different cultures. It's meaning is relevant to the culture.

Richard.

 

[tursiops]

But by what power do they have ownership of the language, & the people do not? Do they assign meaning, or rather attempt to codify it?



That's true when the matter at hand has an objective reality. But words are fairly arbitrary in & of themselves; they are made by people in order to convey ideas. It's the people that give meaning to the words.

A word might have different meanings in different cultures. It's meaning is relevant to the culture.

Richard.

And your point is?