Re: [Phys-l] OT Re: "Unlearning"

["LaMontagne, Bob" <RLAMONT@providence.edu>]

For the grammatically challenged (from thestraightdope.com)

Dear Straight Dope: 

When you agree with someone, do you say "Here Here!" or "Hear Hear" ? And what does it mean? What is the origin of "Here Here" or "Hear Hear"? 

- Tymoma195

The correct term is, "hear, hear!" It is an abbreviation for "hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent speaker has to say!" 

Of course, if the speaker is actually asking a question, such as "and just where do you think we should open the new strip club?" it's not hard to imagine that at least one yahoo in attendance might yell, "here, here!" But this would be the exception that proves the rule. 

- Veg

And finally, from Wikipedia:

"Hear, hear is an expression used as a short repeated form of hear him, hear him. It represents a listener's agreement with the point being made by a speaker"


if we are going to strain at a gnat about sinificant figures, we might at least use correct grammar.

Bob at PC



> -----Original Message-----
> From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
> bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Ken Caviness
> Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2010 6:03 PM
> To: Forum for Physics Educators
> Subject: Re: [Phys-l] OT Re: "Unlearning"
>
> I think I remember that in "ye" (as in "Ye Olde Curiosity Shop") the
> "y" was a "y" with a dot or small "e" over it, and was an abbreviation
> for "the" using a form of the letter thorn.  But I don't see how that
> could apply to the expression "hear ye, hear ye", since this command is
> clearly addressed to a crowd, and so would use the Middle English 2nd
> person plural pronoun, not the singular.
>
>
>
>
> Subject
>
> Object
>
> Singular
>
> thou
>
> thee
>
> Plural
>
> ye
>
> you
>
>
>
>
> In fact, if the singular is desired, it would be "Hear thou" (as in
> addressing the Deity:  "Hear Thou my prayer!"  But it looks like a
> clear case for the plural nominative 2nd person, so "ye" is correct.
>
>
>
> Ken Caviness
>
> Full-time physics teacher and part-time amateur linguist
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-
> bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of John Clement
> Sent: Saturday, 11 September 2010 11:21 AM
> To: betwys1@sbcglobal.net; 'Forum for Physics Educators'
> Subject: Re: [Phys-l] OT Re: "Unlearning"
>
>
>
> >
>
> > Another good one for Bob's consideration: "Hear ye, hear ye" - a fine
>
> > archaic English phrase....     :-)
>
> > [I understand that "ye" is also outvoted in the G poll.]
>
> There is a distinct possibility that the original was Hear thee.  The
> old English thorn, a Y with a dot, was prounounced as th, and has been
> misinterpreted later as a Y.  Then maybe not.
>
>
>
> John M. Clement
>
> Houston, TX
>
>
>
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