Entry: solecistic (adj.)
In context: See previous.
Definition: Of the nature of or involving solecism:
a. In speech or diction
b. In thought or conduct.
Okay, and solecisim (n.):
An impropriety or irregularity in speech or diction; a violation of the rules of grammar or syntax; properly, a faulty concord.
Other: I don't have the review handy, but here is a relevant anecdote from The Monthly:
In a book review, ‘Authority and American Usage', Wallace revealed that his mother, Sally, used to fake a coughing fit if one of her two children uttered a solecism at dinner, and would continue to splutter and choke until Wallace or his younger sister, Amy, figured out and corrected their mistake. While it was a light-hearted game, Wallace wrote that he was slightly chilled by the idea of children being brought up to think that a linguistic error might deprive their mother of oxygen.
SNOOT score: 3
Page: 1014
Source: Oxford English Dictionary
Definitive Jest is a vocabulary-building and SNOOT-approved word-of-the-day blog centered around David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.
No comments:
Post a Comment