[ExI] New Bioscience Company Raises $15 Million to Revive Woolly Mammoth

[Anton Sherwood]

> On Thu, Sep 16, 2021 at 2:51 PM Anton Sherwood wrote:
>     Yes, by all means let's use any old word that more or less resembles
>     what we mean, everyone will know what we mean.

On 2021-9-16 12:00, Dave Sill via extropy-chat wrote:
> What part of the following is unclear?
> 
> "The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary 
> and the Oxford Dictionaries regard the form /comprised of/ as standard 
> English usage."

Does that mean that preferring more conservative usages, when they 
preserve useful distinctions, is NOT allowable?

> There's ample room for ambiguity in proper English. Assuming that 
> everyone is using the same dictionary that you're using is a good way to 
> introduce it.

Hence, a careful writer will not rely only on the most liberal 
dictionaries when choosing words.

What ambiguity do I introduce by refusing to use 'comprise' as a synonym 
for 'compose'?

> Usage changes over time. Railing against it is silly and futile.

I know it's futile to seek to change how the masses speak and write; my 
remarks are intended for the minority who aspire to more precision.

"Read liberally, write conservatively," to paraphrase a computing proverb.

-- 
*\\*  Anton Sherwood  *\\*  www.bendwavy.org