Literally

[Callie]

What is meant by "I literally just ate a sandwich"? Was it assumed that I would otherwise interpret the sentence as a figurative act of sandwich eating? Is there a figure of speech regarding sandwich eating of which I am unaware? Do figurative sandwiches have figurative condiments? Or is it the sandwich as a whole that is figurative? Suppose that an uninspired philosophy professor is teaching Plato's theory of forms by discussing the form of a sandwich. Perhaps a confused student, wishing to change the subject, asks in exasperation, "Did you know that I literally just ate a sandwich?" The confused student uses the word "literally" to differentiate from somehow eating the form of a sandwich. Only in such an instance might I lend credibility to literal sandwich eating, but said instance is dubious and improbable at best.

 

On the other hand, there is the case of Imaginary Bob. Imaginary Bob frequently makes self-deprecating comments and also likes to embellish his stories. The other day, he drove his car on the freeway despite having a low oil level. As a result, Imaginary Bob destroyed his car. When recalling his stupidity, Imaginary Bob could either figuratively state that "I drove my car into the ground" or embellish the story by saying "I literally drove my car into the ground." In the former case, I would think that Imaginary Bob ruined his car. In the latter case, I would think that Imaginary Bob drove his car off of the freeway, nosedived into the ground, and was possibly injured; this event did not happen. Imaginary Bob unnecessarily created ambiguity by using a word that should normally be used to avoid ambiguity.

 

Maybe there's a distinction I'm missing between formal and informal usage here, but I am inclined to think that the word "literally" should only be used to distinguish from what would otherwise be figurative. The use of the word "literally" as a form of emphasis or embellishment seems to have greatly diminished the word's meaning. I wonder if I am just narrow-minded and am stubbornly resisting an objectively useful change in language. Are there other words that could be used in place of "literally"?

[Triumph]

u should except misusage of "literally" irregardlessly of its actual meaning

[Cairo Jim]

Figures of speech, whether they be literal or figurative are normally easily discerned to native speakers of any given language and/or culture. Imaginary Bob driving his car into the ground is easily understood as a figurative statement to me, as a native English speaker. Translate that into say, Greek or Chinese, the meaning could change, or be misunderstood.

[VCH]

u should except misusage of "literally" irregardlessly of its actual meaning

 

LOL

[Trenton.]

you need less time on your hands and more friends

[Callie]

you need less time on your hands and more friends

It's spring break: I don't normally have this much free time!

[Aran]

I just ate a sandwich (no pun intended).

[BMA]

+1 : Common phrases taken literally always turn up some amusingly silly ideas. Here's a cartoon I found off a blog.

 

 

There are two cases of 'literal' usage, one where the word's application is merely redundant and unamusing, and another where it would be ridiculous and funny. It's of course far better to say that one literally ate a sandwich (it's true; after all, he did eat it) than to say that a person literally drove his car into the ground or that he literally has no backbone.

[Questionably Legal]

Yes, people notice tags.

 

 

 

See also: http://xkcd.com/1108/

[Khoth]

If you check a dictionary, you'll find that "literally" has two meanings:

1. actually

2. not actually

[Rowen]

http://www.npr.org/t...storyId=4988053

[Edgwyn]

So literally is literally its own antonym?

[Balladeer]

Figuratively speaking...

 

Not quite an antonym but more like a way to emphasize a statement. Often the statement being emphasized is figurative. It's like using the word honestly. "I honestly did not think the Jets would lose this time." It's more of a cultural thing we've developed to draw more attention to what we're saying whether it is the truth or exceptional non-truth.

[Necris Omega]

Literally has become something of a contronym in its use, no?

[A less presumptuous name.]

There's a term for a word that can have two opposing meanings: contranym. Making literally into a contranym is literally the dumbest thing ever.

 

EDIT: I forgot how much it stings to be sniped.

[Lilith]

wow, you were beaten to that by literally seconds

[Student of Trinity]

"I literally just ate a sandwich" could mean either, "No, it wasn't half an hour ago" or "No, I did not have chips with it."

 

Some metaphors have become so stale that even their figurative meaning is often used figuratively, and I think that people are often using 'literally' correctly, but applying it to a second layer of figurativeness, while entirely forgetting a first layer. So, "I literally drove my car into the ground" could simply mean, "I really was fully responsible for wrecking my car, not just partly or casually so."

[Necris Omega]

So... you're saying the misuse of "literally" in a figurative manner is because using some metaphors without the declaration of "literally" is because simply using the figurative metaphor on its own reads as stale or cliche? That its contrary use is in some circumstances less a question of a fundamental misunderstanding of the terms and more a desire to avoid trite expression?

[Student of Trinity]

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but I don't think it's what I mean.

 

There are a lot of dead metaphors, expressions whose literal meaning is entirely forgotten. People only think of their figurative meaning; it has, in effect, become the literal meaning.

So for example people don't think of an expression like "dead to the world" as a figurative expression having the literal meaning of being physically dead; they think of it as a stock phrase that means being entirely oblivious of one's surroundings.

 

That originally figurative meaning is itself often something rather extreme, even if not as extreme as the original literal meaning. Being totally oblivious of one's surroundings is an extreme case that doesn't actually happen very often. People often say "dead to the world" when someone is just a bit distracted. In effect a new figurative use has emerged.

 

So my theory is that the original literal meaning of "dead to the world" has been forgotten, in practice. People think of 'totally unaware of surroundings' as the literal meaning of the expression, which is used as an exaggerated figure of speech for a state of mild distraction.

[Lilith]

There are a lot of dead metaphors, expressions whose literal meaning is entirely forgotten. People only think of their figurative meaning; it has, in effect, become the literal meaning.

So for example people don't think of an expression like "dead to the world" as a figurative expression having the literal meaning of being physically dead; they think of it as a stock phrase that means being entirely oblivious of one's surroundings.

 

surely the most literal possible meaning of "dead to the world" would be having been declared legally dead, rather than being physically dead

[Jerakeen]

To me, "dead to the world" means sound asleep. Or passed out.

[Student of Trinity]

surely the most literal possible meaning of "dead to the world" would be having been declared legally dead, rather than being physically dead

 

 

Actually the phrase was once a legal term, referring to members of religious orders who had formally abandoned all worldly property and therefore fell under ecclesiastical jurisdiction. "Dead to the world" is not a Biblical phrase directly but it is a close echo, or perhaps a somewhat free translation, of several verses in the epistles of Paul. Whether the intended meaning in that context counts as literal or figurative is a bit hard to judge.

 

I guess that's the other thing I feel about supposed misuse of 'literally': literal and figurative are slippery concepts, anyway. Maybe they're only relative terms. Sometimes 'literally' seems to be the most efficient qualifier to convey what you mean. You don't have to take it literally.

[Harehunter]

Interesting...

[VCH]

language be fluid

[Dikiyoba]

I guess that's the other thing I feel about supposed misuse of 'literally': literal and figurative are slippery concepts, anyway. Maybe they're only relative terms. Sometimes 'literally' seems to be the most efficient qualifier to convey what you mean. You don't have to take it literally.

Since English speakers tend to overuse modifiers, the most efficient way to communicate would be to avoid using 'literally' entirely.

 

Dikiyoba will now spend the next hour over-analyzing everything Dikiyoba writes to avoid redundant, inefficient communication. Out, demons of overemphasis, out!

[A less presumptuous name.]

Redundant communication is inefficient, therefore your statement is inefficient. Also, you repeated the word "out". You clearly need more work on this. I can tutor you for only 3 payments of US $199.99.

[Student of Trinity]

Since English speakers tend to overuse modifiers, the most efficient way to communicate would be to avoid using 'literally' entirely.

In writing I think I agree, but the only way I can achieve brevity is to revise by cutting, and that's hard to do in speech.

 

I've read that some people in the American South speak in slow, lapidary sentences, as if what you hear were a third draft. That would be cool to hear. I don't know if I'd be enthralled or enraged.

 

I just ran into an example of a dead metaphor that has become second-order figurative in the way I meant above: "key", used as an adjective, as in "a key concept". Most of the time this just means "important", but sometimes you "literally" mean that a key concept is one that unlocks things. You still don't mean it's a concept about keys.

[Callie]

Redundant communication is inefficient, therefore your statement is inefficient. Also, you repeated the word "out". You clearly need more work on this. I can tutor you for only 3 payments of US $199.99.

I think it would be a lot cheaper to troll an English forum.

[Harehunter]

Texas Drawl ...

to Indian Zen,

 

US ===< Understanding.

 

U2 ??

[nikki.]

U2 ??

 

Over-rated.

 

But, seriously. What's up with your posts? They're even more Harehunter-y than usual.

[Harehunter]

Must not step on toes.

Or so I was told