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Palin’s English

July 19th, 2010 at 11:33 am David Frum | 96 Comments |

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Much giggling on the blogs about Sarah Palin’s mis-tweeting the word “refudiate” to mean “repudiate.” Palin’s defense:  Shakespeare made up words too.

This latest Palin invention is unlikely to endure. But I notice that one Palin word invention really does seem to be catching on: her use of the word “verbiage” (Palin pronounces it “verb-ij” ) to mean “words.”

See for example Palin speaking on Fox’s “Hannity” program on September 17, 2008.

HANNITY: Senator Barack Obama yesterday was attacking Senator McCain for saying that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. Do you believe that the fundamentals of our economy are strong?

PALIN: Well, it was an unfair attack on the verbiage that Senator McCain chose to use.

“Verbiage” historically means not merely “words” but excessive, prolix, or obfuscatory words. To say that someone is emitting “verbiage” is always a criticism, even an insult. Or anyway, it used to be so.

In the months since, I have heard more and more politicians and even non-politicians use “verbiage” in the same way as Palin, sometimes even pronounced the same way as Palin pronounced it. It seems a real trend. Thanks to Palin, a word that used to mean the cynical use of language to evade, conceal and deceive now more and more just means “language.” It seems somehow an appropriate accomplishment.

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96 Comments so far ↓

  • Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:19 am

    All this nonsense about being obsessed about uteri to the side: what specific policies is Palin advocating that you like? Specific stuff, mind you, not boilerplate. What’s her specific policies is she advocating that make you want to run out and wave the foam finger?

  • Watusie // Jul 20, 2010 at 8:50 am

    JeninCT, two questions: do you know anything about human childbirth, and if so, do you find Palin’s story about giving a speech then flying across the country while in labor remotely plausible?

    For the record – I think Trig is hers, I just think she grossly embellished the birth story in order to make herself seem heroic, and now she can’t back down from that lie.

  • msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 10:24 am

    Jenin

    If you want to assert that Palin is witty, you really shouldn’t try comparing her extemporaneous exhaltations to those of Obama. She is a huge embarrassment to most Americans and to all women.

  • msmilack // Jul 20, 2010 at 10:28 am

    I just noticed that talking and reading about Mrs. Palin is starting to actually make me feel ill. I am going to see how long I can go without thinking of her or mentioning her name. Maybe if we all do that, she will disappear.

  • 24/7 Wrinkle Serum News // Jul 20, 2010 at 10:29 am

    [...] Palin's English | FrumForum [...]

  • LFC // Jul 20, 2010 at 10:57 am

    Actually, she corrected her typo almost immediately, and was very witty about it.

    Actually, she “corrected” it with the word “refuted”, which was the wrong word. It should have been “repudiated”. Hence, she’s doubly stupid. Finally, it seems that one of her staffers pulled her foot from a mouth at least a little.

    Annie, no one else is obsessed with Palin’s uterus, besides you and Andrew Sullivan.

    Actually, I’m very interested in her story. She uses it to define her character and I believe it does that very well. Let’s look at her story:

    - She had amniocentesis earlier than is normally considered safe, hence endangered her unborn child.

    - She was over 40, 8 months pregnant, and knew she had a Down’s Syndrome child. With all that risk, she decided to endanger her child to make a speech in Texas.

    - Her water broke and she began having contractions, but she gave her speech instead of going to the hospital.

    - After the speech, instead of going to a world class hospital in TX that had the facilities for such a high risk delivery, she drove to the airport, flew to Seattle, hung out for a few hours, and flew to Anchorage, endangering her child the whole way.

    - Once landed in Alaska, instead of going to a world class hospital in Anchorage that had the facilities for such a high risk delivery, she drove to Wasilla.

    - In Wasilla, she gave birth (allegedly) at a podunk local hospital that did NOT have the facilities for such a high risk deliver.

    So, by Sarah’s own words, she is an unfit mother, deciding to endanger her child so she could give a stupid political speech and further endangering the child just because “you can’t have a fish picker from Texas” (per Todd).

    That story is either a complete and total fabrication (in which case she’s unfit to represent people in this country in any way, shape, or form) or it’s true (in which case she’s EVEN MORE unfit to represent people in this country in any way, shape, or form).

    Sarah, you’re a disgrace who risked her child’s life for a bit of spotlight. You disgust me.

  • JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    Watusie:

    After two or three births you know your body, you know what to expect and would rather be home to give birth with your own doctor or mid-wife to help you. Frankly, I know alot of women like her who would’ve done the same thing. It’s childbirth, it’s not brain surgery.

  • JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    Xunzi Washington wrote:

    “What’s her specific policies is she advocating that make you want to run out and wave the foam finger?”

    She’s a fighter, she’s unafraid and she’s a reformer and believes as I do in smaller government and accountability. I also believe that she left her role as governor because it was in the best interests of her state. Think what you want, if she were president we’d be doing much better than we are now.

  • Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 4:30 pm

    “She’s a fighter, she’s unafraid and she’s a reformer and believes as I do in smaller government and accountability. I also believe that she left her role as governor because it was in the best interests of her state. Think what you want, if she were president we’d be doing much better than we are now.”

    Okay, let me try that one more time. What SPECIFIC proposals does she put forward that you find enticing?

  • CentristNYer // Jul 20, 2010 at 4:33 pm

    JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    “I also believe that she left her role as governor because it was in the best interests of her state.”

    And this is the person you think is fit to be president — the woman who had to resign because it was in the state’s “best interest” that she go?

  • Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 4:34 pm

    “:After two or three births you know your body, you know what to expect and would rather be home to give birth with your own doctor or mid-wife to help you. Frankly, I know alot of women like her who would’ve done the same thing. It’s childbirth, it’s not brain surgery.”

    Are you being serious, or are you pulling our leg here? This was a very high risk pregnancy, not a walk in the park normal pregnancy. She knew that fully. To ignore this (her and you) and then to add to it all of these additional high-risk factors and situations is not just incompetent, it’s callous and shows a massive deficit of clear headed thinking. I’m stunned that you would defend it.

  • CentristNYer // Jul 20, 2010 at 4:51 pm

    JeninCT // Jul 20, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    “She’s a fighter, she’s unafraid and she’s a reformer and believes as I do in smaller government and accountability.”

    First off, these are platitudes, not specifics. What has she actually accomplished or expressly proposed that would lead anyone to take her seriously as a presidential candidate?

    Second, if Palin is such a fighter, why did she stick her tail between her legs and run from the governorship after barely half a term?

    Third, if she’s so unafraid, why doesn’t she speak to any media outlet that doesn’t promise her cozy, softball interviews?

    Finally, if she’s a reformer, why did she show so little evidence of that during her two years as governor?

  • Watusie // Jul 20, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    JeninCT After two or three births you know your body, you know what to expect and would rather be home to give birth with your own doctor or mid-wife to help you. Frankly, I know alot of women like her who would’ve done the same thing. It’s childbirth, it’s not brain surgery.

    *facepalm*

    Palin’s story is she started leaking aminiotic fluid and experiencing contractions at 4AM – then gave a speech and flew across the country.

    And you say that a heroic woman like her can pull that off.

    I guess you’ve never had children or been in the same room was a woman having contractions?

    Her story is a complete and utter whopper of a fabrication that she – and you – just cannot back down from.

    I am embarrassed for you both.

  • Fairy Hardcastle // Jul 20, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    msmilack

    Do you actually wish her to disappear? Seems kinda violent to me. You know TMZ videotaped her in NYC recently. She was quite the graceful and patient lady. It’s all the people that don’t get of their rears and let events sweep them along who are an embarrassment, not this lady who doesn’t let the grass grow beneath her feet. So go on with your hate and your universalities about All americans and all women. Keep believing in your hate because it’s deluding you and deluded people are least dangerous of opponents.

    Oh yes, the great Orator himself is summoned. I have three words for you: “Corpse man” “57 States”. Those are about as funny as the Gulf Oil spill and almost as tragic considering he is the Commander in Chief.

  • Watusie // Jul 20, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    Oh look! It is more po-faced self righteous rubbish from Fairy!!!!

  • Xunzi Washington // Jul 20, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    I would be happy if we could get some actual specific proposals that Palin is going to propose to fix our problems. I’d also love to see her in an actual one on one non-moderated debate.

    By the way, Fairy, I knew a lot of guys in high school who didn’t let the grass grow under their feet, but I wouldn’t vote for them.

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