winningest
Jeffrey Buttrick
in the world of sports reporting?
Raymond S. Wise
news:84ab1431.02082...@posting.google.com...
> why, exactly, is this not a correct word, and why is it so prevelant
> in the world of sports reporting?
Whether or not it is "correct" depends on what you mean by the word
"correct," but "winningest" *is* informal Standard American English. It
appears with the usage label "informal" in the AHD4, the dictionary at
www.infoplease.com , and the Encarta World English Dictionary. See
http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/W0179000.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipd/A0739563.html
http://dictionary.msn.com/find/entry.asp?search=winningest
I presume that people in sports reporting deliberately cultivate an informal
style, and "winningest" fits right in.
--
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com
Martin Ambuhl
>
> why, exactly, is this not a correct word, and why is it so prevelant
> in the world of sports reporting?
Oxford gives us in OACD:
winningest /wInINIst/ <adj> <informal> having achieved the most
success in competition: "the winningest coach in pro-football
history."
Are you *sure* that "this is not a correct word"?
Don Phillipson
news:84ab1431.02082...@posting.google.com...
> why, exactly, is this not a correct word, and why is it so prevelant
> in the world of sports reporting?
Because in that special language community (sports
broadcasting) it is as common an error as "prelevant."
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
dphil...@trytel.com.com.com.less2
Spehro Pefhany
> why, exactly, is this not a correct word, and why is it so prevelant
> in the world of sports reporting?
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
_Fame_ ! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes they won't.
I'm afraid that _some_ times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
--- _Oh, the Places You'll Go!_ Dr. Seuss
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
9-11 United we Stand
Pan
wrote:
>why, exactly, is this not a correct word,
I think it is correct.
> and why is it so prevelant
>in the world of sports reporting?
It has a nice ring. "Most winning" just wouldn't cut it.
Michael
To reply by email, please take out the TRASH (so to speak). Personal messages only, please!
Pat Durkin
"Don Phillipson" <dphil...@trytel.com> wrote in message
news:_%9b9.5009$z21.1...@news20.bellglobal.com...
> "Jeffrey Buttrick" <jbut...@newman.com> wrote in message
> news:84ab1431.02082...@posting.google.com...
>
> > why, exactly, is this not a correct word, and why is it so prevelant
> > in the world of sports reporting?
>
> Because in that special language community (sports
> broadcasting) it is as common an error as "prelevant."
Or, irrevalent.
Pat Durkin
"Pan" <panNO...@musician.org> wrote in message
news:3d6d39a4...@news.rcn.com...
> On 28 Aug 2002 10:20:45 -0700, jbut...@newman.com (Jeffrey Buttrick)
> wrote:
>
> >why, exactly, is this not a correct word,
>
> I think it is correct.
>
> > and why is it so prevelant
> >in the world of sports reporting?
>
> It has a nice ring. "Most winning" just wouldn't cut it.
I have to admit that "most winning" has associations of demurely smiling
young women with gauzy hats and dresses, holding flower to their bosoms,
tinted in rosy and blurry colors.
Henry Churchyard
Otto Jespersen, in his 1949 _A Modern English Grammar on Historical
Principles (Part VII Syntax)_ section 10.3 page 353 gives the
following cases from post-1850 written English: bafflingest,
charmingest, cunninger, cunningest, daringest, darlingest,
soothingest, stunningest etc.
--
Henry Churchyard chu...@crossmyt.com http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/
Pan
wrote:
I agree with you, and what a nice picture you paint.
Edward
"winningest". What a putrid construction.
Edward
"Pat Durkin" <p...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<umqimm...@corp.supernews.com>...
Richard R. Hershberger
> I presume that people in sports reporting deliberately cultivate an informal
> style, and "winningest" fits right in.
Also, there isn't an obvious synonym. "Winningest" means "having the
most victories over one's career". While one could, I suppose, define
"most winning" to mean this as well, this definition is not generally
understood. If one's intent is to communicate, "winningest" clearly
is the superior choice.
I presume that people who object to this word have invented a
morphological rule prohibiting the addition of -est to an -ing word.
It must be nice to be able to invent linguistic rules at will. It is
a pity that so many only use this power to invent prohibitions.
Jerry Friedman
People say and write all kinds of things that sound bad to me. Those
are among them. I'm more used to "winningest", but I don't think I'd
say it.
Maybe I would sound bad to those people if they heard me say, "I don't
have any any more."
Anyway, the alternative to "winningest" isn't "most winning". "Joe
Blow is the winningest coach in history" can turn into "Joe Blow has
won more games than any other coach."
Though that could be rather faint praise. A coach whose record is
500-600 impresses me a lot less than one whose record is 100-40. And
then there are usually other people involved in winning those games
too.
--
Jerry Friedman