I wonder if spelling abominable "abhominable" is as abhorrent as misusing
"lay." :) Probably, especially if one is complaining about writing.
Finished the book... more later.
Sally Caves
scaves@frontiernet.net
Eskkoat ol ai sendran, rohsan nuehra celyil takrem bomai nakuo.
"My shadow follows me, putting strange, new roses into the world."
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cowan" <jcowan@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: art and language and THE DAVINCI CODE
> Sally Caves scripsit:
>
> > there is the abhominable, and unforgiveable lie/lay mistake
>
> "Abhominable"? "Abominable" < "ab omine", the ablative of "omen".
>
> > My scientist friend can't tell the difference between
> > the quality in writing between this book and Eco's. I teach creative
> > writing, and yet I can't explain to him over dinner what feels like
literary
> > writing and what feels like genre writing, and what the cues are that
make
> > for "hack" writing.
>
> Can he explain quantum mechanics over dinner, or why a particular research
> idea is promising whereas another is obviously going to lead nowhere?
> Probably not. Your kind of science (< "scientia") is just as subtle as
his.