On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:13:41 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

Orwell wrote some interesting essays on language, and I generally
agree with him, unless something works better for me, and this
sentence certainly proves I don't go far out of my way to eliminate
the latinate. Just too much damn work.
Had a lit prof early on who thought "lift" was so much more elegant
than "elevator." Well.........maybe, if you intend to use either word
in verse aimed at Anglo Saxon followers of Orwell.
Anyway, I remember his comment, which is just as important
as its gist.

--Vic

Hi Vic,
Very thoughtful and interesting reply.

Now about those "lifts" or "elevators". As a five year old learning
English at school for the first time (My grandparents spoke Greek at
home), we were forced to look at the meanings of words and terms -
such as the commonly used "Would you like to come to our place for
dinner" which our teacher said meant that we were to be the dinner -
should be "to dinner". Ridiculous and pendatic in reality but I often
ask people when working in highrises if "lift" and elevate (or) mean
to raise up, does this mean that we should take the stairs when
descending? Some ponder it for days and as yet nobody has come up for
a single word for the Otis thing apart from short descriptive phrases
- same as escalator. Funny language English.

Hope all is well with thee and thine,

cheers
Peter