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 Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:31 am complicate vs. complicated |
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Perhaps, but I found no incidences of it in the BYU corpus, and we know how you love corpora.
Love your convenient short-term memory, Jamie. I've said again and again that learners and natives should consult many sources in their search for understanding usage. |
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Molly
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:33 am complicate vs. complicated |
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| Molly wrote: | | Love your convenient short-term memory, Jamie. I've said again and again that learners and natives should consult many sources in their search for understanding usage. |
I never saw that. In any case, you're constantly slapping people in the face with corpora results without ever considering the flaws and weaknesses of corpus linguistics. |
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Jamie (K)
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:43 am complicate vs. complicated |
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| Jamie (K) wrote: | | I never saw that. In any case, you're constantly slapping people in the face with corpora results without ever considering the flaws and weaknesses of corpus linguistics. |
Now why do you think I suggest consulting a number of sources? Seem you're just upset to have you native intuition challenged. |
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Molly
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 1:53 am complicate vs. complicated |
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| Molly wrote: | And "complicate" (adj.) is used beyond the field of biology.
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Come along, old chap. All you've found so far, outside biology, is a quote from Watts (1741), another from Young (1742), and a few thousand typos (to put it kindly).
Your initial thought was your best one:
| Molly wrote: | [complicate (adj.)] was a surprise to me also.
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MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:04 am complicate vs. complicated |
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| Interesting that, until a day or so ago, a bunch of natives who had no idea that "complicate" (adj.) existed are now experts on the word. Me. I'll continue to investigate. |
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Molly
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:25 am complicate vs. complicated |
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| Molly wrote: | | Me. I'll continue to investigate. |
It's dirty work; but someone has to do it.
Don't forget to report back.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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Haihao
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Molly
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Haihao
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:46 am complicate vs. complicated |
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It's a charming idea.
Perhaps while we're waiting for M. to return with his findings we can amuse ourselves by devising ways in which financial service procedures can be folded longitudinally several times.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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Molly
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 12:56 pm complicate vs. complicated |
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| Molly wrote: | Did Mr Peeved forget these definitions of "complicate"?
Composed of two or more parts united; complex; complicated; involved.
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If you consult the OED, you'll find those definitions marked "archaic" (cf. your examples: from 1741 and 1742).
| Molly wrote: | Complex/complicated/involved/complicate application procedures have resulted in a drop in interest in our investment and other financial services packages.
All possible. It's about personal choice/preference here.
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On the contrary, old chap: it's about not misleading students of ESL.
If an ESL student writes e.g. "The situation was very complicate", no one is going to think, "what an admirable example of a rehabilitated archaism". They will simply assume it's a spelling mistake.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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Location: Southern England
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 13:49 pm complicate vs. complicated |
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| I suppose we'd better let Mr P have the last word on this. He seems to need it. |
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Molly
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| Sun Jun 01, 2008 13:58 pm complicate vs. complicated |
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| Crudely put, Molly, you lost. |
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Jamie (K)
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Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| "Walking on the footpath" vs "Walking along the footpath" | I've drunk two cups of tea this morning. vs I drank two cups of tea this morning. |
First of all, why should it be doomed to confine itself inside biology? 
