Reclama, as a verb
J. Porter Clark
"reclama" to mean an appeal, in which someone asks higher
authority for reconsideration of a decision. For some reason,
they don't like "appeal" or "dispute."
Fine so far, but they also want to use it as a verb: "You should
reclama that decision." Although that truly grates, the real
problem occurs when they try to use it in some tense other than
present. Reclamad? Reclamed? Reclamaed? Reclamaing? Ugh.
So what's the past tense of reclama, as a verb?
--
J. Porter Clark <j...@porterclark.com>
Donna Richoux
It's not for us to say how a verb we never heard of is to be treated.
Society gets to be creative with new words. I find "reclama" listed in a
military dictionary as a noun,
reclama (DOD) A request to duly constituted authority
to reconsider its decision or its proposed action.
but the verbing thereof seems to be even more recent.
However, one method for making a past participle out of a verb ending
with a vowel is the apostrophe-D technique. I find one of those:
If the Service HQ or the designated CINC disagrees
with the request, the matter will be reclama'd to the
CJCS
I find a few more with the "ed" ending, such as:
Subsequent to review by the appropriate staff agency,
they are either accepted, reclamaed or made the
subject of a position paper.
I have a slight preference for the apostrophe-D, myself.
How is it pronounced -- with the short-a sound of "clam" and "Alabama,"
or the "ah" of llama and Obama?
Any clue to its origin? I don't see why it would be a back-formation of
"reclamation." Borrowed from a foreign language? It shows up on a bunch
of foreign pages; in Dutch, "reclame" is an advertisement... Ah, I see
that in Spanish, "reclama" translates as "claims." That's close.
--
Best -- Donna Richoux
John Kane
Whatever you want to be ?
It sounds like your organization is determined to mangle the
language.
John Kane Kingston ON Canada
Sandu
"Donna Richoux" <tr...@euronet.nl> wrote in message
news:1ilxqhi.48bno21i1q5cfN%tr...@euronet.nl...
In Romanian as a verb means to complain, to report.
As a noun means advertisement.
Skitt
> "Donna Richoux" wrote
>> J. Porter Clark wrote:
> In Romanian as a verb means to complain, to report.
> As a noun means advertisement.
In Latvian, "reklama" (a noun) means "advertisement". In German, it's "die
Reklame".
--
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
http://home.comcast.net/~skitt99/
J. Porter Clark
The latter. My co-workers usually say something that sounds
like "reclama'd" for the past tense verb, but it seems too
pretensiously poetic when written like that. (Of course, the
word "reclama" sounds pretensious to me, anyway.)
>Any clue to its origin? I don't see why it would be a back-formation of
>"reclamation." Borrowed from a foreign language? It shows up on a bunch
>of foreign pages; in Dutch, "reclame" is an advertisement... Ah, I see
>that in Spanish, "reclama" translates as "claims." That's close.
I had it in mind that it came to us like "drama" did. Or maybe
"anathema." "Cinerama"? 8-)
Thanks for the help.
J. Porter Clark
>It sounds like your organization is determined to mangle the
>language.
No doubt about it. I guess you could call it "manglage."
J. Porter Clark
>The latter. My co-workers usually say something that sounds
>like "reclama'd" for the past tense verb, but it seems too
>pretensiously poetic when written like that. (Of course, the
>word "reclama" sounds pretensious to me, anyway.)
And I can't believe I misspelled "pretentious" twice!
jerry_f...@yahoo.com
The third way to spell it is "reclama-ed", if that helps.
--
Jerry Friedman
Mark Brader
> > (Of course, the word "reclama" sounds pretensious to me, anyway.)
> And I can't believe I misspelled "pretentious" twice!
Perhaps you meant the word made you feel tense even before you saw it? :-)
--
Mark Brader, Toronto | "What Europe needs is a fresh, unused mind."
m...@vex.net | -- Foreign Correspondent