connotation vs. denotation. Either way, he used the word correctly.

9/10/2007 6:15:06 AM

Quote :

"Clearly, you attached a negative connotation to "cohorts" when none was indicated."

Let us consult the dictionary, shall we?

Quote :

"co·hort (ko'hôrt') n. 1. A group or band of people. 2. A companion or associate. 3. A generational group as defined in demographics, statistics, or market research [example]. 4. a. One of the 10 divisions of a Roman legion, consisting of 300 to 600 men. b. A group of soldiers. [etymology] Usage Note: In Caesar's Gallic War a cohort was a unit of soldiers. There were 6 centuries (100 men) to a cohort, 10 cohorts to a legion (therefore 6,000 men). A century, then, would correspond to a company, a cohort to a battalion, and a legion to a regiment. Because of the word's history, some critics insist that cohort should be used only to refer to a group of people and never to an individual. In recent years, however, the use of cohort to refer to an individual rather than a group has become very common and is now in fact the dominant usage. Seventy-one percent of the Usage Panel accepts the sentence The cashiered dictator and his cohorts have all written their memoirs, while only 43 percent accepts The gangster walked into the room surrounded by his cohort. · Perhaps because of its original military meaning and paramilitary associations, cohort usually has a somewhat negative connotation, and therefore critics of the President rather than his supporters might use a phrase like the President and his cohorts."

So, when you say that I attached a negative connotation to the word cohort, do you really mean that I used the word correctly?

Quote :

"Once again, you have been schooled."

BWAHAHAHAHA!

[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 7:45 AM. Reason : ]

9/10/2007 7:44:53 AM

damn. owned yet again

may hooksaw's pride continue to rest in peace...

9/10/2007 5:12:16 PM

While the commie lefties (I am a commie leftie as well) might have been having a "circle-jerk" (rightfully so), seems like poor hooksaw is/was [reduced to] having a "circle-jerk all by himself.

9/10/2007 5:22:08 PM

Quote :

"damn. owned yet again may hooksaw's pride continue to rest in peace..."

[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 6:22 PM. Reason : g]

9/10/2007 6:21:40 PM

WITNESS THE LEFT-WING CIRCLE JERK IN ACTION! You dumb fuckers.

cohort: "somewhat negative connotation"--and it can also denote or connote positives. Colleges, for example, often use the word "cohorts" to describe groups of students that move through a program together.

The association in question was clearly negative and is related to the following understanding of the word "henchmen":

Quote :

"Henchmen are common in mystery, fantasy, adventure comic books, and adventure novels and movies. They are the expendable adherents of the main villain, always ready to do the master's bidding, to kill or be killed, kidnap, or threaten, as needed. They are either killed by the hero before the master villain is reached, killed by the hero's sidekick in a dramatic battle, or even get killed by the master villain as punishment for failure to comply with orders. Henchmen are also often abused and insulted by the villain for their incompetence. Henchmen in this sense are also sometimes called lackeys. A henchman might also be the non-player character follower of a player character in role-playing games. This henchman will follow the player around and assist in various manners. In fiction such supporting characters are normally tied to the hero by bonds of friendship and loyalty and are usually called sidekicks; the villain's supporters are called henchmen due to the villainous nature of the villain, which makes such personal bonds difficult to establish [emphasis added]."

http://www.answers.com/topic/henchman



[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 7:02 PM. Reason : .]

9/10/2007 7:01:36 PM

9/10/2007 7:05:56 PM

9/10/2007 7:14:56 PM

My God, you fail at the dictionary too.

Let's review the word somewhat and the word usually (which you conveniently left out).

Quote :

"somewhat: in some degree or measure"

Somewhat indicates that cohort does, in fact, have negative connotations. Somewhat is ambiguous as to whether or not the negative connotation is hard or soft, but is totally unambiguous about cohort being at least 'somewhat' negative.

Quote :

"usual 1 : accordant with usage, custom, or habit 2 : commonly or ordinarily used 3 : found in ordinary practice or in the ordinary course of events"

Usually indicates that, more often than not, cohort will have negative connotations. Perhaps not always, but definitely more often than not.

Let's look at my usage of the word cohort.

Quote :

"A Tanzarian: Sweet, I have cohorts. Now, all I need is a couple of henchmen and I'll be ready to take over the world!"

As you correctly identified, I deliberately used cohorts in a negative context as per the normal usage of the word. Congratulations. Have a fucking cookie.

Now, let's look at your use of the word cohort.

Quote :

"hooksaw: So, just why are you and your cohorts claiming some sort of "gotcha" moment again?"

Nothing here to strongly indicate that cohort is being used in a negative context. However, your use of the word so does indicate sarcasm--which would certainly cast a negative light on 'you and your cohorts'. Let's read on for more context, shall we?

Quote :

"hooksaw: Oh, it's because you're idiots."

Wow, this sentence has the word idiot in it. That is definitely a negative word. But what does it describe? The pronoun you...hmmm...what does you refer to...oh, yeah: 'you and your cohorts'. The negativity of idiot reflects on your usage of cohort in the same way that the negativity of henchmen reflects on my usage of cohort.

What does this mean? It means that both you and I used cohort in a negative manner--the difference being that I knew that cohort could and should be used with negative connotations. By your reaction to my use, you were apparently clueless to the normal usage of cohort.


The best part, of course, is that you think that this is a "left-wing circle jerk". In reality, this is simply a non-partisan opportunity to mock your idiocy.

9/10/2007 7:55:32 PM

There is a point in a thread where you have owned hooksaw and a point where continued posting is owning of yourself. He knows when he has been owned and he resorts to "foamies, circle jerk" etc for a few posts, then he'll come back and post shit that the entire world can see doesn't make sense. You are wasting your time posting stuff like ^, when it is clearly obvious that hooksaw has been destroyed and is just trolling you. Don't take the bait.

9/10/2007 7:58:50 PM

Are you running for Soap Box mod or something?



Besides, I like twisting the knife.

[Edited on September 10, 2007 at 8:01 PM. Reason : ]

9/10/2007 8:00:39 PM

Quote :

"As you correctly identified, I deliberately used cohorts in a negative context as per the normal usage of the word. Congratulations. Have a fucking cookie."

Quote :

"Nothing here to strongly indicate that cohort is being used in a negative context. However, your use of the word so does indicate sarcasm--which would certainly cast a negative light on 'you and your cohorts'."

Your association between "cohorts," which I did not intend in a negative manner, and "henchmen" was the issue. Congratulations! You've pinpointed the problem. I think you know that when I want to launch a negative attack, I don't have a problem doing it--connoted or denoted.

In the case at issue, I was simply posted a commonly used word for "associates," which I considered but rejected because it sounded stilted. I have suffered no wound here--but unfortunately, my postings do suffer in your translations.

9/10/2007 8:16:22 PM

Don't hurt yourself trying to walk backwards.

Hip replacements are a bitch.

9/10/2007 8:44:10 PM

^ No contortions are necessary. Actually, it's quite simple: You attached negativity to a word that I used that was not intended to be negative by associating it with a word that you used and admittedly intended to be negative. Follow?

9/11/2007 12:28:57 AM