No Stupid Questions

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There is no such thing as a Stupid Question!

Don't be embarrassed of your curiosity; everyone has questions that they may feel uncomfortable asking certain people, so this place gives you a nice area not to be judged about asking it. Everyone here is willing to help.

ex. How do I change oil
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ex. Can you cry underwater?

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Does blowing on our hot food before we put it into our mouths actually make a difference to how hot it is? (feddit.uk)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

30 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm thinking that no, it doesn't. Which begs the question of why we do it? Is it a psychological thing?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yes. That’s exactly what dictionaries do. Where else would we go for DEFINITIVE answers?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

So, someone could release their own dictionary and thus become a DEFINITIVE authority on language?

Dictionaries are supposed to reflect the official lexicon.

At what point does slang enter the official lexicon?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Wow. I’m not sure if you’re serious or trolling.

But to answer your question, someone did release their own dictionary… and, thus, became a definitive authority on language… in 1847. That someone (actually someones) were the Merriam brothers. They then bought a license from another someone named Webster. Maybe you’ve heard of them.

If you are serious, you are digging pretty damn deep trying to make your point. If you’re not careful, you might come out on the other side of the world.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

So anyone with standards is a troll now? Jesus fuck.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive; when meanings get changed by popular usage, so too do dictionaries follow.

Terribly sorry you're learning this so late in life. Might have saved yourself some frustration otherwise.