From LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU Sat Mar 6 22:49:32 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: veion@XIRON.PC.HELSINKI.FI Received: (qmail 6524 invoked from network); 10 Apr 1997 03:32:26 -0000 Received: from segate.sunet.se (192.36.125.6) by xiron.pc.helsinki.fi with SMTP; 10 Apr 1997 03:32:26 -0000 Received: from segate.sunet.se by SEGATE.SUNET.SE (LSMTP for OpenVMS v1.1a) with SMTP id <3.098C22C6@SEGATE.SUNET.SE>; Thu, 10 Apr 1997 5:32:26 +0100 Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 20:01:50 -0400 Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com Sender: Lojban list From: bob@MEGALITH.RATTLESNAKE.COM Subject: Re: "suicide" X-To: sbelknap@uic.edu X-cc: LOJBAN@CUVMB.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU To: Veijo Vilva In-Reply-To: (message from Steven Belknap on Wed, 9 Apr 1997 18:43:24 -0500 (CDT)) Content-Length: 726 Lines: 18 Message-ID: The Oxford English Dictionary defines the *noun* suicide as: One who dies by his own hand; one who commits self-murder. Also, one who attempts or has a tendency to commit suicide. The OED is wrong here, at least for the current era. Nowadays, in middle class, educated conventional use, a `suicide' (the noun) refers to one who succeeds in dying. A person with tendencies towards committing suicide is `suicidal'; a person who has tried but did not die is some who `attempted to commit suicide'. Wittgenstein was suicidal, but not a suicide. -- Robert J. Chassell bob@gnu.ai.mit.edu 25 Rattlesnake Mountain Road bob@rattlesnake.com Stockbridge, MA 01262-0693 USA (413) 298-4725