Comments on: An Unlikely Peon http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 27 May 2012 00:15:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Tad Brennan http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144703 Tad Brennan Sat, 18 Feb 2006 17:38:48 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144703 In defense of Jo Wolff, it should be said that this is a word that has been spelled variously in English, because 1) there are no fixed rules for transliterating from Greek (aesthetics? aisthetics? esthetics? that special ae ligature that I don't know the code for? ecology/oecology/oikology?) 2) and the wretched Greeks themselves couldn't decide how it was to be spelled. And neither can you. Come on--you knew "peon" was incorrect, but how many of you can rattle off the correct English spelling without hesitation? Without looking down this post? Okay: the OED gives "paean", but with the ligature for the "ae" at the start. It also recognized "pean". Before looking it up (e.g. when I first read Kieran's post) I thought it was "paion", because that's the closest transliteration of the Attic spelling (paiôn). But Epic had it as paiêôn, and paian won out (possibly cause it was most familiar in Doricizing lyric passages? I dunno, and can't figure it out from LSJ). So the wretched Ancients didn't know how to spell it, and the wretched English don't know how to transliterate it. Not too surprising people get it wrong now and then. In defense of Jo Wolff, it should be said that this is a word that has been spelled variously in English, because
1) there are no fixed rules for transliterating from Greek (aesthetics? aisthetics? esthetics? that special ae ligature that I don’t know the code for? ecology/oecology/oikology?)
2) and the wretched Greeks themselves couldn’t decide how it was to be spelled.

And neither can you. Come on—you knew “peon” was incorrect, but how many of you can rattle off the correct English spelling without hesitation? Without looking down this post?

Okay: the OED gives
“paean”, but with the ligature for the “ae” at the start. It also recognized “pean”.

Before looking it up (e.g. when I first read Kieran’s post) I thought it was “paion”, because that’s the closest transliteration of the Attic spelling (paiôn). But Epic had it as paiêôn, and paian won out (possibly cause it was most familiar in Doricizing lyric passages? I dunno, and can’t figure it out from LSJ).

So the wretched Ancients didn’t know how to spell it, and the wretched English don’t know how to transliterate it. Not too surprising people get it wrong now and then.

]]> By: Tim Worstall http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144666 Tim Worstall Sat, 18 Feb 2006 11:06:46 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144666 The Telegraph recently laid off a lot of their subs leading to an almost instant increaase in (not quite as amusing, admittedly) errors. News-gents was one from last week. Since I, in an excessively anal fashion, have started noting them on my blog I’ve been getting emails from the same subs desk praising the section. The triviality of so much blogging, eh? The Telegraph recently laid off a lot of their subs leading to an almost instant increaase in (not quite as amusing, admittedly) errors. News-gents was one from last week. Since I, in an excessively anal fashion, have started noting them on my blog I’ve been getting emails from the same subs desk praising the section.
The triviality of so much blogging, eh?

]]> By: Shelby http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144609 Shelby Fri, 17 Feb 2006 23:22:34 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144609 I used to be a copyeditor in the book and magazine industries. Work dried up in the mid-90s, so I gave up and went to law school. Insert wry comment about lawyers' writing here. I used to be a copyeditor in the book and magazine industries. Work dried up in the mid-90s, so I gave up and went to law school. Insert wry comment about lawyers’ writing here.

]]> By: des von bladet http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144607 des von bladet Fri, 17 Feb 2006 23:13:00 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144607 <i>(And I won’t comment on the general standard of the copy-editing this particular booked received.)</i> Is anybody involved "spending more time with their family"? (And I won’t comment on the general standard of the copy-editing this particular booked received.)

Is anybody involved “spending more time with their family”?

]]> By: Barry Freed http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144604 Barry Freed Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:58:45 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144604 <i>t’s WHY READ MARX TODAY? by Jonathan Wolff. </i> Thanks for the info. <i>I was struck by the inappropriate peon, too.</i> That's the trouble with peons, they don't know their place. t’s WHY READ MARX TODAY? by Jonathan Wolff.

Thanks for the info.

I was struck by the inappropriate peon, too.

That’s the trouble with peons, they don’t know their place.

]]> By: Jo Wolff http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144603 Jo Wolff Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:56:43 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144603 OK, I admit it, it was me. And it is a very strange experience to see such a thing displayed so publicly. But I'm very gratified to see that I have such distinguished readers. (And I won't comment on the general standard of the copy-editing this particular booked received.) OK, I admit it, it was me. And it is a very strange experience to see such a thing displayed so publicly. But I’m very gratified to see that I have such distinguished readers. (And I won’t comment on the general standard of the copy-editing this particular booked received.)

]]> By: C. Schuyler http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144595 C. Schuyler Fri, 17 Feb 2006 22:29:45 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144595 It's WHY READ MARX TODAY? by Jonathan Wolff. I was struck by the inappropriate peon, too. It’s WHY READ MARX TODAY? by Jonathan Wolff. I was struck by the inappropriate peon, too.

]]> By: bryan http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144585 bryan Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:49:22 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144585 It's a far, far better thing to be paed off than a peon. So anyway, after you read this - did you keep reading? It’s a far, far better thing to be paed off than a peon.

So anyway, after you read this – did you keep reading?

]]> By: david http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144577 david Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:06:09 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144577 He's lazy little shirking peon too, wretched child. He’s lazy little shirking peon too, wretched child.

]]> By: eweininger http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144576 eweininger Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:03:25 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144576 <i>Have you, like I, begun to wonder whether publishers- even some academic presses- have trimmed their costs by laying off all the copy editors?</i> Not to let anybody off the hook or anything, but I envision a scenario in which the haggard copy editor, having just received his pink slip, lets this one slide intentionally...or even makes a quick little notation in the galley margins. Have you, like I, begun to wonder whether publishers- even some academic presses- have trimmed their costs by laying off all the copy editors?

Not to let anybody off the hook or anything, but I envision a scenario in which the haggard copy editor, having just received his pink slip, lets this one slide intentionally…or even makes a quick little notation in the galley margins.

]]> By: eweininger http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144575 eweininger Fri, 17 Feb 2006 21:00:23 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144575 <i>What are you, an anti-Scionist?</i> I have always perscribed to the scioninistic perspective. The deviationistical tendencies that you compute to me are figmentations. What are you, an anti-Scionist?

I have always perscribed to the scioninistic perspective. The deviationistical tendencies that you compute to me are figmentations.

]]> By: des von bladet http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144574 des von bladet Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:16:40 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144574 Everybody singalong: <em>The peon, Smith cleoms, works meonly on the peins</em>. Everybody singalong: The peon, Smith cleoms, works meonly on the peins.

]]> By: dr ngo http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144569 dr ngo Fri, 17 Feb 2006 20:06:37 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144569 <i>But doing it very effectively, despite his scionness (scionity? scioninity?).</i> What are you, an anti-Scionist? But doing it very effectively, despite his scionness (scionity? scioninity?).

What are you, an anti-Scionist?

]]> By: Mr. Bill http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144566 Mr. Bill Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:48:32 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144566 I attribute this to automated spell checking. I can't proof my own writing (simply cannot see the errors, especially transpositon errors) and SpellCheck lets errors that are real words by.. Pity there is no SenseCheck... I attribute this to automated spell checking. I can’t proof my own writing (simply cannot see the errors, especially transpositon errors) and SpellCheck lets errors that are real words by..
Pity there is no SenseCheck…

]]> By: Barry Freed http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/comment-page-1/#comment-144565 Barry Freed Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:41:36 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2006/02/17/an-unlikely-peon/#comment-144565 Don't be so coy Kieran, give us what we want most here, author and title are a must. Don’t be so coy Kieran, give us what we want most here, author and title are a must.

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