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". . . from whence . . ."
Since the definition of whence is "from what place, source, or cause", the use of from appears to be redundant.
Anything on the web, in print, or otherwise common usage get your attention?
historical sources shows that from whence has been common since the thirteenth century. It has been used by:-
Shakespeare,
Defoe (in the opening of Robinson Crusoe: “He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York; from whence he had married my mother”),
Smollett,
Dickens (in A Christmas Carol: “He began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room, from whence, on further tracing it, it seemed to shine”),
Dryden,
Gibbon,
Twain (in Innocents Abroad: “He traveled all around, till at last he came to the place from whence he started”),
Trollope,
and it appears 27 times in the King James Bible (including Psalm 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help”).
So what literary genius says "from whence" is wrong ?
< Note: - quote is from [worldwidewords.org...] >
[edited by: tedster at 3:14 am (utc) on Oct. 27, 2008]
[edit reason] attribute the quote [/edit]
Published references are comprised of many opinions on both sides...
Just my two pet peeves, these.
Jim
So what literary genius says "from whence" is wrong ?
I used the word redundant. Redundancies permeate the language. Who hasn't heard "free gift" overused on infomercials?
Sometimes these phrases have a pleasing sound. Sometimes the user is just naturally wordy. Maybe the user has just heard it over and over and thinks the words must be joined. For whatever reason, it's still a redundancy.
looser
Haha, jdmorgan. It's somewhat amusing when someone writes that someone else is a looser. Makes me wonder who the real loser is. :)
And I heard a major news program (could be BBC but prob C4 News) call something a controversial controversy. Seriously.
Jim
Life is too short to worry about some of the foo out there.
Personally myself I definately worry from whence that opinion came. I am not however about about to loose the plot over it.
some are even found on WW
I wander if from whence this cauld be the originations of the Friday Word Game.
On a personal note, I tend to miss the 'H' key on a consistent basis. It's annoying, but often easily spotted and corrected. Often, but not always.
Try and rather than try to always gets my attention. Affidavid appears to be pretty common, Google doesn't even offer a "did you mean affidavit".
One I'm guilty of in informal writing is 'alright", which is never right. Then there's 'beckon call' for 'beck and call'. Dribble instead of drivel, exasperate when the writer or speaker means exacerbate...
>>redundancies
'ATM machine' makes me nuts.
I could go on...
[edited by: digitalghost at 3:34 pm (utc) on Oct. 27, 2008]
I could go on...
But you'll just get exacerbated. ;)
How can you fight terror? War on terrorists, possibly. But given its widespread usage, I guess I'll have to 'except' it.
The use of 'personally' is curious even when it is not coupled with 'myself'. Is there ever a need to use 'personally' when making a statement?
'Literally', when it is misused for 'figuratively', makes me cringe. Phrases like, "He was literally exploding he was so mad" fly right by without question.
Yet another redundancy that annoys me is, "revert back", as in, "The Soviet Union reverted back to communism".
Is there ever a need to use 'personally' when making a statement?
But I agree- it's rarely used in that way.
While technically redundant, it helps differentiate between a pure opinion, and a belief (for lack of a better word for somewhere between opinion and knowledge)
"semantic meaning": acceptable or misuse?
I've also seen that as 'intensive purposes'. May we talk about 'alterior' motives? ;) Or 'blessing in the sky'? (blessing in disguise) What about 'off the beat and path'? Or pawn off rather than palm off? Or 'splitting image'?
To be fair though, the English language can be infuriating. Just think about mettle, medal, metal and meddle for a minute...
To be fair though, the English language can be infuriating. Just think about mettle, medal, metal and meddle for a minute...
the tough coughs as he ploughs the dough
I'm jus anoyed wen tey do it out of lazyness or on perpuss.
It's in print media, or on ads, or anywhere thats supposed to be professionally produced.
Or REALLY stupid things like "literally" before a metaphor
Annoyance at another's limitations originates from the ego
Since I is a college grajuate, I like to look down my knows at those who are less ejuhkated.
<edited to fix speeling>[edited by: lawman at 6:23 am (utc) on Oct. 29, 2008]
'in actual fact'
the way that a large number of people seem to combine leery and wary and think that using weary makes them anything but tired
