Comment on "Literally" literally does not mean "similar to in some way".
SaltSong@startrek.website 8 months agoRight, that’s “speaking figuratively.” There are rules for that.
But a word that means the opposite of what it means is not a useful word.
I’d hate to find a box in my lab marked “inflammable.”
Plenty of words mean the opposite of themselves, so much so that there’s multiple words for it; autoantonym, contranym, or Janus words.
This morning my alarm went off so I turned it off.
I wanted to buy a new console as soon as it was out but they were all out.
Two people were left so I left.
I fought with Bob over chores, but I fought with Bob in the war.
I’m aware of the existence of contranyms. None of the examples you gave apply, as they just have different meanings, or the same leaving with different connotations.
That’s actually pretty cool.
Or a letter from my college saying that my club has been “sanctioned”.
Yea. Not helpful.
voracitude@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Context is as important to language as syntax. If you see a box marked “inflammable” and the box is made of cardboard, you know it’s quite inflammable. If it’s made of metal, most people would think it’s inflammable, but if you’re in a lab you’ve probably got a few ways to prove them wrong.
SaltSong@startrek.website 8 months ago
Context is important to the message, yes. But if I need the context to understand a particular word, I would understand the message just as well without that word.