Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site rtech.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!amdahl!rtech!jeff
From: jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Another semantic reversal
Message-ID: <238@rtech.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 14-Mar-85 05:05:52 EST
Article-I.D.: rtech.238
Posted: Thu Mar 14 05:05:52 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 18-Mar-85 04:01:21 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Relational Technology, Berkeley CA
Lines: 20

This comes from a newspaper column that George Orwell wrote in 1947:

"We say, for instance, 'After a certain age one's hair turns grey", or
 'There will probably be a certain amount of snow in February".  In all
 such sentences, 'certain' means *uncertain*.  Why do we have to use this
 word in two opposite meanings?  And yet, unless one pedantically says
 'after an uncertain age', etc., there appears to be no other word which
 will exactly cover the required meaning."

One of the definitions given by Webster's 2nd is "one or some among possible
others; one or some known only as of a specified name or character; as,
certain leaders of the people; -- often used derogatorily; as, a certain Mr.
Washington was elected President."  Despite the fact that the second example
refers to a specific person, I think this definition covers the case that
Orwell describes.  I don't have any idea how this usage came about.

Comments?
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak