Re: Lingua Franca Today

[kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com]

Paul wrote:
> Looking back at your original post, it's worth noting
> that you really didn't ask whether Lingua Franca should be used.  Instead,
> you wanted a nifty little definition that would explain Lingua Franca in a
> sidebar.  Ivy League humanities folks love sidebars.  They like saying
> things such as "Hey, I love the phrase "Lingua Franca!"  By the way, what
> does it mean?"
> 
> TW's would just think, "If it needs a sidebar, use the nifty little
> definition instead."  (And I know that "nifty little definition" is not a
> phrase particularly endearing to Ivy League humanities folks.)
> 
> Kelley was writing for her audience.  If we put her hat on, we'd do the
> same.



BUT.................

Even _Kelley_ didn't know how to define this term. That's why she wrote to
us, for help defining it.

To me, that's enough people (the author included) who don't have a clear
enough concept of what a phrase means to make me think that just MAYBE
there's a better way to put this concept.

Me, I'm a Hemingway man. Talking about writing, he said we must be willing
to "kill your darlings."  It's obvious that Kelley was just dying to use
this term at all costs. That would make it one of her "darlings," and thus
something to lock in the crosshairs and shoot.

"But it's didactic," seems to be the argument. So what? Not all didactic
presentation, whether spoken or written, is necessarily _good_. Look at
Cliff, the ever-didactic postman from Cheers. Who wanted to listen to
THAT?


 - Keith "I've never had to pull my dictionary out so many times in one
day until I read this thread" Cronin




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