Comments on: You’re not “on line”, you’re “in line” http://www.erebor.com/2008/01/29/youre-not-on-line-youre-in-line/ Views from the mountain Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:38:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6-bleeding2 By: rew http://www.erebor.com/2008/01/29/youre-not-on-line-youre-in-line/#comment-3840 rew Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:25:43 +0000 http://www.erebor.com/?p=128#comment-3840 I'm with you on 'saleable', which is a stupid and pointless <a HREF= "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbification" rel="nofollow">verbification</a> that is a <i>synonym</i> of its <i>homonym</i>. Thus, in regular speech it's unlikely that most listeners (or maybe speakers) would notice a distinction. My suspicion is that it began as a misspelling of "sellable" and took awful root. I’m with you on ’saleable’, which is a stupid and pointless verbification that is a synonym of its homonym. Thus, in regular speech it’s unlikely that most listeners (or maybe speakers) would notice a distinction. My suspicion is that it began as a misspelling of “sellable” and took awful root.

]]> By: Nate http://www.erebor.com/2008/01/29/youre-not-on-line-youre-in-line/#comment-3839 Nate Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:56:32 +0000 http://www.erebor.com/?p=128#comment-3839 nice thoughts. Since my kids aren't old enough to need to care about being in or on a line, I haven't witnessed this travesty against language and commone sense. However, I have wondered at similar things. For instance, why is "saleable" (salable) a word? A "sale" is a noun, not a verb. Doesn't "sellable" - something able to be sold - make more sense? nice thoughts. Since my kids aren’t old enough to need to care about being in or on a line, I haven’t witnessed this travesty against language and commone sense. However, I have wondered at similar things.

For instance, why is “saleable” (salable) a word? A “sale” is a noun, not a verb. Doesn’t “sellable” - something able to be sold - make more sense?

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