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Nels
Veteran Poster
Username: Nels
Post Number: 851
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2007 - 10:27 pm: | 
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"Of" African Descent vs. "With" African Descent.
Alternative: "having"...
The first implies possessing "only" and the second implies possessing "some". A game of semantics? Not likely. Perhaps?
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 8957
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 11:45 am: |
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Semantics, indeed. "Descent" is the operative word, and the prepositions "of" and "with" don't impact on it especially when African is the adjective describing it. |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 449
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 11:56 am: |
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I have a girlfried who's dating a half-Italian/half-Ghanaian guy who she describes as "half-Black by way of Africa." I'm not sure if "of" readily implies "only." Is her boyfriend not of Italian and African descent? But I agree this is a game of semantics, and semantics can be a pain in the ass. |
Nels
Veteran Poster
Username: Nels
Post Number: 852
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 06:28 pm: |
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Urban --
"But I agree this is a game of semantics, and semantics can be a pain in the ass."
Yes, the semantics of just about everything we deal with today appears to diminish the value of the arguments in play. Unfortunately, there may not be a neutral way of interpretating what is really meant by implication alone. Thus we're left scratching our heads and asses, again. |
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