Discursive is a crazy (Am) English word (is it crazy in Br. English also)?

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Apr 28, 2013, 5:10:57 PM4/28/13

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My teacher keeps using the word "discursive", which means the opposite to
her that it means to me; so she's driving me crazy.

She's got a funny accent, so I think she's one of those Brits who tries
to use fancy words that mean something else in American English than it
does in British English.

So, may I ask whether you Brits have the same confusingly opposite
meanings to the word "discursive" that we Americans do, hence, we rarely
use the word because it's useless as a word when it requires an
explanation every time it's used.

Peter Duncanson [BrE]

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Apr 28, 2013, 5:53:28 PM4/28/13

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These are British English definitions of the word:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/discursive?q=discursive

discursive
adjective

1 digressing from subject to subject:
"students often write dull, second-hand, discursive prose"

(of a style of speech or writing) fluent and expansive:
"the short story is concentrated, whereas the novel is
discursive"

http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/discursive

1 passing from one topic to another, usually in an unmethodical way;
digressive

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/discursive

FORMAL talking about or dealing with subjects that are only slightly
connected with the main subject for longer than necessary:
"a discursive writer/speech"

Many discussions in this newsgroup are discursive. We wander off-topic.

There other senses of the word "discursive"

involving discussion: "a discursive essay"

and the archaic sense in Philosophy:

proceeding by argument or reasoning rather than by intuition.

This is from Webster's New World College Dictionary (US):
http://www.yourdictionary.com/discursive

1. wandering from one topic to another; skimming over many
apparently unconnected subjects; rambling; desultory; digressive

2. based on the conscious use of reasoning rather than on intuition

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

alien8er

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Apr 28, 2013, 10:14:52 PM4/28/13

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On Apr 28, 2:53 pm, "Peter Duncanson [BrE]" <m...@peterduncanson.net>
wrote:

That was my (extremely rusty) memory of the meanings of the word;
thanks for the clarification.

Now, I'm wondering if the OP's class subject makes the archaic or
modern meaning more appropriate. Would the OP please share that with
us?

Dr. HotSalt

Django Cat

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Apr 29, 2013, 7:08:43 AM4/29/13

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So tell us what you think it means and what you think she thinks it
means.

Thank you.

DC

--

Don Phillipson

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Apr 28, 2013, 5:56:22 PM4/28/13

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"Avatar" <Ava...@hbgyisasesaew.com> wrote in message
news:klk391$3l3$3...@news.albasani.net...

> My teacher keeps using the word "discursive", which means the opposite to
> her that it means to me; so she's driving me crazy.

As a teacher, she is obligated to answer your questions. So what did she
say when you asked her to explain?

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Whiskers

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Apr 29, 2013, 7:42:38 AM4/29/13

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What are the "confusingly opposite meanings" you are thinking of?

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

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Apr 30, 2013, 10:27:22 PM4/30/13

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Whiskers wrote on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:42:38 +0100:

> What are the "confusingly opposite meanings" you are thinking of?

She uses the adjective discursive to describe arguments moving in
an orderly fashion based on logic; while, here in America, we use
the contronym to describe writing or speech that often strays wildly
from the main point.

To me, those are opposite & contradictory meanings.

alien8er

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May 1, 2013, 5:01:54 AM5/1/13

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Peter Duncanson pointed out that the first definition is also
considered archaic. Is that more appropriate to the class material, or
is it just that she's British (or was educated in England)?

Dr. HotSalt

Whiskers

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May 1, 2013, 7:09:26 PM5/1/13

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Both usages are current, I believe. The former is particular to the
context of a formal academic lecture or logical argument, the latter to
something informal such as general conversation. They aren't opposite or
contradictory; they both relate to the way a conversation develops, from
point to point whether logically connected or not - but of course, a
logical lecture wouldn't leap to unrelated topics if the intention is to
provide a reasoned argument. "Discourse" is the style, not the content.