Re: Ashamed of [T]? (fy: /T/ -> /t_d/?)

Quoting "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...>:


> Another tricky word is "despise", whose intensity has varied dramatically
> over even recent history; these days it's basically a stronger version of
> "hate", whereas it used to be semantically different (whence the set phrase
> "hate and despise") and then, apparently at one point, it was a *milder*
> version of "hate".
This xenophone had picked up a semantic distinction that despise implies moral
condemnation, while hate does not necessarily so. Thus, 'hate' but not
'despise' could be appropriate for inanimate objects and "honourable enemies".
Was this at any point native usage?

Tangentially, in my Swedish usage, the strength of _hata_ 'hate' varies
drastically 'tween registers. In informal speech, it may mean little more than
'dislike' or even 'be envious of' (the later, I think, is taken from English
usage), while in higher registers, it's very strong, implying a wish to see the
object dead or destroyed. So strong, in fact, that one avoids using it with a
first person subject, since civilized people are supposed to be above such
extremes of animosity!

                                                   Andreas