Tuesday, October 24, 2017

MSNBC, sheesh

Dear Craig Melvin and Andrea Mitchell,

Whatever it was you were talking about: it doesn’t beg the question; it raises the question.

Sincerely,

A concerned viewer, one of no doubt many

From Garner’s Modern English Usage (2016):

the use of beg the question to mean raise another question is so ubiquitous that the new sense has been recognized by most dictionaries and sanctioned by descriptive observers of language. Still, though it is true that the new sense may be understood by most people, many will consider it sloppy.
Related reading
All OCA sheesh posts (Pinboard)

comments: 2

Daughter Number Three said...

Why is there such a desire to use the word "beg" when "raise" is just as good, even if you don't know it's incorrect to use "beg"? Do writers (or editors) think it sounds more interesting?

Michael Leddy said...

I think so. Maybe it sounds more analytical.