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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fortune.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!hao!hplabs!hpda!fortune!crane
From: crane@fortune.UUCP (John Crane)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: redundancy in language and mis-pronunciations
Message-ID: <1834@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Nov-83 15:08:41 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.1834
Posted: Fri Nov 25 15:08:41 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 27-Nov-83 02:23:48 EST
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 30


Sometime at work listen to how many times you hear the following:

Person A:
	What's this computer supposed to do?

Person B:
	What this computer does is sort records.

Now why couldn't person B just say: "This computer sorts records" or
simply: "It sorts records"? Why the long wind up before the pitch?
I hear people say this all the time and I'm wondering why they don't
just get right to the point. I realize oral language is more informal
than written language, but when you hear people start every sentance
with: "What ....is is a ....." or "What ... does is it does ... ", etc.
its just plain sloppy.

A word I think is redundant is societal. What's wrong with the word
social? They both mean "of or pertaining to society". Or do they? Am
I missing some nuance or meaning here?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Will somebody please tell all the sportscasters in the world that 
tennis star Bjorn Borg pronounces his name "Byern BorrY" NOT "Byorn 
BorG". In Swedish, the final G is pronounced like the Y in berry.

I thank you. Bjorn (with the butchered surname) thanks you.