Skunked words. The power of pronouns. Quigleys. Grammar Girl 983

983. This week, we explore "skunked" words - terms going through hotly disputed meaning changes. We look at the debate between prescriptivists who stick to traditional meanings and descriptivists who accept new usages and what you should do with these words in your own writing. Plus, we learn how using "we" versus "I" alters perceptions of leadership, inclusivity, and status.
The "skunked words" segment was written by Mignon Fogarty and Susan K. Herman. Susan is a retired multidisciplined language analyst, analytic editor, and instructor for the federal government.
The pronoun segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." A version of the piece originally appeared on Psychology Today, and you can find her at valeriefridland.com.
Correction:
11:15 FIRST person plural pronouns
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[@seizetheday9546]

Thanks Mignon, this is literally my favourite channel

[@SlicedZucchini]

thank you so much, this has been bothering me for many years, I came to this conclusion on my own and always wondered was there a term for it, now I know

[@bernard2735]

Just found you - liked and subscribed 🙂. I had always understood 'fulsome' to mean 'insincere or excessively flattering,' and this is what I find in the OED. It's interesting to learn that its original meaning was 'abundant' (1200s), its usage changed to 'excessive' (1600s), and the current usage marks a return to its original meaning.

[@Paul71H]

I don't see a problem with "hopefully." A writer could use "hopefully" in either the original sense or the newer sense, and the reader would understand the intended meaning, based on the context. It seems to me that both meanings can safely coexist. The same isn't true for some of the other "skunked" words. For example, if an author talks about "the enormity of the threat," one reader might think that the evilness of the threat is being emphasized, while another reader might think that the size or scope of the threat is being emphasized.

[@Paul71H]

Regarding the segment on pronouns, I would contend that third-person pronouns (he, she, they, him, her, them) could be added to the list of skunked words from the first segment. I say this because of the ongoing ideological wars over selecting one's own third-person pronouns based on gender indentity, and over which pronouns should be used to refer to a person of unknown sex/gender.

[@grammargirl]

What an interesting point!

[@Rashi-c9v]

First comment from india

[@CiaoRooster]

I have always thought that effete means not simply elite but impotently elite, like the lord who can’t be bothered but is also unable to dress himself, cook an egg, or chop wood (aka a dilettante). It is this last part, the lack of manly man strength and potential that likely is leaning toward effeminate.