The Children of Hurin - The Film

[tumhalad2]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

tumhalad, I've already said all I intend to say about CoH and your notions on the interpretation thereof on the "Turin the Hopeless" thread, so I will not repeat myself here. But I'd like a clarification: in what way do you mean the book "begs questions" about its author? Is that even possible? A review or analysis might do this, but surely not the book itself.

Or do you mean it raises questions? Not the same thing.

To my mind, "begs" and "raises" really means the same thing. I don't appreciate the difference. When I write that the book "begs" the question, I mean that when I first read it, I began to engage with it and ask questions of it, and by extension its author. I hope that clears that up. Reviews and analyses are presumably written by people who have read the book, so they ask questions during and after the process of reading. This seems to me like a completely natural and straightforward process.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by tumhalad2

To my mind, "begs" and "raises" really means the same thing. I don't appreciate the difference.

Well, you should, especially given your literary aspirations, because the phrase "to beg the question" actually refers to a type of logical fallacy (cf. the link I gave).

[tumhalad2]

There is such a thing as colloquial language - and "beg the question" in colloquial register has much the same meaning as "raise the question". At least it does where I'm from, and that's the meaning in which I meant it. All this should be evident from the context of my post. None of this is particularly relevant to the discussion at hand, so let's move on.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by tumhalad2

There is such a thing as colloquial language - and "beg the question" in colloquial register has much the same meaning as "raise the question". At least it does where I'm from, and that's the meaning in which I meant it. All this should be evident from the context of my post. None of this is particularly relevant to the discussion at hand, so let's move on.

But I thought this was a very serious literary topic, regarding which discussions are reanimated, paradigms are shifted and implications are unpacked? Surely such slang (mis)usage is out of place? (Besides, the proper concept of "begging the question" is such a useful one...)

[tumhalad2]

Oh dear, do I need to wash my mouth out? You're obviously not a linguist if you believe that linguistic items have proper usages. How prescriptivist of you. But I agree it's a useful concept.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by tumhalad2

Oh dear, do I need to wash my mouth out? You're obviously not a linguist if you believe that linguistic items have proper usages.

Thank goodness, no. But come, admit it, my friend: you really didn't have any idea there was a distinction at all until I pointed it out, did you? You really ought to thank me– there's much more embarrassing ways you could have found out, you know.

[tumhalad2]

Oh, okay I really had no idea that such a logical fallacy was called by the name "begging the question". *Prostrates himself in front of Nerwen*

To be honest though, at least where I'm from, it's used in rather polite discourse to mean something essentially *raises* the question. Go figure...

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Well, you should, especially given your literally aspirations

But, Nerwen, surely you meant "literary"?

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

But, Nerwen, surely you meant "literary"?

Dear me! I surely did! I could have sworn that's what I typed. Curse this late-night posting!