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Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jbe who wrote (3188)	7/18/1999 10:42:00 PM
From: E	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4711

Is my punctuation error the commas? If it's another one, tell me; in fact, it will always be a favor to me to have you tell me such things-- so please do so, rather than making me guess, okay? I was wrong in assuming that it was universally accepted that 'animus' now implies hostility, and so "animus against" was automatically equivalent, now, to "antagonism against" or "enmity against." Those quotations from the 1945 Webster's assume a particular definition of 'animus' on the part of the writers cited that is not the one I intend, ever, when I use the word, however, and I wonder if it is the one you intend, ever. Do you use the word 'animus' to mean basic attitude or or governing spirit (the first definition given in the dictionaries I have at hand here.) or enmity, animosity, ill will? The original, Latin, definition of the word was the first of the above, and clearly called for a preposition that informed the listener whether the governing spirit was negative or positive. Blackwood's, which I think is a nineteenth century publication, and John Macy, whom I don't know (Yes, I could look them up, but it's a gorgeous day out there still) are using the word animus in the first, classic, Latinate sense, above. My simple objection to your use was that I assumed you weren't. (I wrongly assumed that no one did except Latinists nowadays.) If, when you use the word 'animus' you mean basic attitude or governing spirit, you certainly do have to indicate whether you mean a negative animus or positive animus-- as you did. But, if when you use the word 'animus' you mean enmity or animosity, I think the redundancy is distinctly inelegant. Hell, I think it's wrong. Do you agree with me that the choice is between animus meaning the first-above or animus meaning the second-above? That you can't meld the two definitions, using the word to mean animosity but tacking on the preposition that tells the listener, again, that you mean animosity and not governing spirit? I guess this is the question I would ask you: Do you use the preposition 'against' following 'animus' because you feel the need to let your listener know you mean animosity?