COUNTEREDITOR

New reader Ezra S. was so moved by Wikipedia's Elinor Glyn gap that he galloped into the fray and somehow restored the bio that had been "edited" out by a Wiki reader and replaced by the single word "pornographer." Good work, Ezra. I've been reading Glyn's autobiography, by the way, and it's interesting in a dated way; that is, she gives a picture of places and times unfamiliar now.

Ezra also wrote:

I work for a non-profit that advocates on behalf of homeless individuals. Right now, one buzz phrase in the field is "chronic homelessness." Many times, however, people use different versions ~ chronically homeless individuals, the chronic homeless, the chronically homeless, chronic homeless persons etc ~ which I think convey slightly different [meanings]. Care to shed any light on this?

First, let's look at the basic meaning of "chronic." It comes from a root having to do with time, and means habitual, inveterate, etc. The connotation is usually negative. If you say someone is "chronically cheerful," you are being ironic. Of course we don't expect homelessness to have any positive aspects. But in chronic homelessness, are we talking about habits (like chronic alcoholism), i.e. things that are chosen time after time, or lingering disease (like chronic arthritis), i.e. something not chosen? Are we talking about something that's gone on for a long time, or something we expect to continue indefinitely?

Second, differences in the phrases above come from differences in the use of the adjective and the adverb. The phrase "chronically homeless individuals" uses the adverb to modify "homeless" and is correct and perfectly clear. "Chronic homelessness" refers to a long-lasting rather than temporary situation, not to persons. But "chronic homeless persons" is grammatically incorrect. Strictly speaking, it refers to people who are homeless and who are also chronic. The two adjectives modify the noun. A person cannot be chronic, unless you think being human is a chronic condition: chronic humanitis?

Third, there is a difference in saying "individuals" and "persons," and in using "the homeless" to refer to persons, which is a form of metonomy (referring to something by one of its attributes). This is not a grammatical problem, and it's natural to shorten terms you have to use constantly. It's acceptable in this kind of professional environment, but generally speaking, it's best not to identify a person by an accidental quality. It seems reductionist. Thus when we call people homeless, beautiful, black or white, etc., usually we're referring to qualities that are not essential to their nature, regardless of what we or they may think.

ORDER IN THE UNIVERSE

Old friend and new PO reader Jim S. asked what "parvum opus" means ~ something to do with parvo, the dog ailment? No, it's Latin for small work, as opposed to an artist's magnum opus, or masterpiece. However, the parvovirus is a small virus. Jim said, "So, parvum and parvo ARE related. Maybe there's order in the universe after all." Indeed there is, and this is where you'll find it.

Also, following my sex-aid spam find last week ("Every man must have a sex! MUST!!! Everything you need is to know more about it"), Jim sent this one:

Here's some pretty hard facts to deal with that the majority of women are unhappy with the size of there man's machinery. Not only that but their also not happy by their activity in the bedroom. Is this true. If so, visit www.buknl.org/s6/. make a decision because it is impossible not to wonder about the. opportunity cost, what will be missed out on. There is a strong sense . grace through, which is indeed what happens. In the bliss of ignorance, much pain and difficulty is .

You've probably heard the relatively recent expression "sex workers" meaning prostitutes, etc. This spamlet led me to picture a sex writer laboring in his little cubicle, foreign language dictionary in hand, pouring out his heart to reach out to people with inadequate machinery, and somehow arriving at "a strong sense . grace" after struggling through the painful and difficult bliss of ignorance. I am moved.

MICE OR MOUSES OR MEESES?

Sue B. sent this by Nathan Bierma:

See that mouse next to your computer? Pretend there are two of them. What would you call them: "mice" or "mouses"? In the first 15 years or so of its mainstream life, the computer mouse has had an uncertain plural, word watchers say. But in the current issue of English Today, linguist Alan Kaye argues that "computer mouses" is starting to win out. Kaye takes issue with the 1999 book "Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language" (Harper Perennial, 368 pages, $15) by Steven Pinker, which stated that most English speakers either avoid the plural of computer mouse or reluctantly choose "mice." (Most dictionaries list both "mice" and "mouses" as possible plurals for the computer instrument.) Kaye surveyed more than 1,000 students at California State University at Fullerton, where he teaches linguistics, and he found that about 90 percent opt for "mouses" as the plural of the clicking device.

I do find "mice" a bit odd sounding for the computer gadget, but "mouses" is impossible for me, regardless of what they're doing in California. However, Bierma makes a reasonable case for "mouses". What do you say?

PUEBLO NAMES

Susan S. (the other Sue), wrote:

I meant to write you earlier about the pueblo names being those of saints. When the Spanish first colonized and attempted to Christianize the natives, they gave each pueblo a patron saint. That may be where Santa Clara and San Ildefonso took their names, I'm not sure. In the pueblo uprising of 1680, which is agreed upon by all historians as the only time the Indians agreed upon anything, all the priests were killed and the Spanish driven out. Ten years later they were back in full force, but tried to appease the Indians by allowing them to practice native religions as long as they honored their patron saint day. This tradition is in effect today. They practice Catholicism with a mixture of their pueblo religion, and each pueblo has a different religion. On their patron saint feast day there is a celebration, parade, food, dances, etc. which the public are allowed to attend. The names of the other pueblos are probably descriptive in nature and Spanish spellings of what they heard phonetically. If you have been to Canyon de Chelly, for instance, that is a Spanish spelling of the Navajo word t'segi, which means a place where the water comes out, or basically, a canyon mouth. Anyone who wishes to read more about the Pueblo Indians can pick up books by Joe Sando who is from Jemez (haymus) Pueblo and is a noted historian. He has been honored for his work on a national level. His daughter-in-law is a friend of mine and I have visited his home. It looks like a museum. He has been gifted by the various tribes with old photos, antiquities, art, etc. I salivated just walking through the place. His wife is an Anglo school teacher and a great woman as well.

(I once worked with a woman from the Pojoaque Pueblo who practiced Catholicism along with her tribal religion.)

SOME THINGS DON'T TRANSLATE

Marcela says cats in Mexico have seven lives, not nine. Perhaps their seven lives are each longer, though. We don't know.

YOU CAN BUY LOVE AND GRATITUDE

The Vocabula Review will publish second editions of The Dimwit's Dictionary and The Dictionary of Concise Writing (with a foreword by Richard Lederer), both by Robert Hartwell Fiske, later this year, and will sell dedications in the new editions to the highest bidders. This might be your only chance to have a book dedicated to you. Bidding starts at $250. You write a tasteful dedication and they'll publish it. Bid here: [email protected]. Type in the subject line: Here is my bid for a dedication.

NEW

Check out the new "I Eat Dead Things" items in the Parvum Opus CafePress shop, plus a new Parvum Opus mouse pad!

SOMETHING NEW! Now you can buy neat products with the Parvum Opus / KeithOps Catti logo at CafePress.

If you buy books from Amazon using the link below, I'll get a tiny commission, and I'd appreciate it.

Link here to look for books on Amazon.com!

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