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Catchword for “whimperative”
Catchword: whimperative
Filed under:
Part of speech: n.
The part of speech reflects that used in the full entry, and not necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
Quotation: The clearest example is ordinary politeness. When you are at a dinner party and want the salt, you don’t blurt out, “Gimme the salt.” Rather, you use what linguists call a whimperative, as in “Do you think you could pass the salt?” or “If you could pass the salt, that would be awesome.”
Article or document title:
“Words Don’t Mean What They Mean” (URL)
Author:
Steven Pinker
Article, document, publication, web site:
Time
Date of publication:
Sept. 6, 2007
This cite belongs to a full entry for whimperative.
Posted 7 Sep 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

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