# Grammar Question - Disrespecting **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683 "2004-05-23T20:07:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683/21 "2004-05-24T21:29:32Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > The horrible trend in this country (US) to create transitive verbs out of nouns drives me insane. What’s even worse/sadder is that some of them stick. No need to be driven insane. Consider that in all of human language, there is nothing more than a vague, fluid boundary between noun and verb. Much of our grammatical tradition has its roots in the study of Latin and Greek, both of which happen to demarcate verbs with distinct endings. But even Latin and Greek could create verbs from nouns on the fly. When English does it, there’s usually no change in form in the infinitive, as there would be for a Romance language, say. But the noun → verb process is no less legitimate than it would be for any other language. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683/22 "2004-05-24T21:52:53Z")
Hey **bordelond**! Don’t try to sway us with facts, logic, and scholarly erudition! We’re fanatics on a holy war and will brook no opposition, no matter how sensible it is! If we want to be insane, you can’t stop us! Death to the language infidels! ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683/23 "2004-05-25T02:06:55Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > No need to be driven insane. Consider that in all of human language, there is nothing more than a vague, fluid boundary between noun and verb. Much of our grammatical tradition has its roots in the study of Latin and Greek, both of which happen to demarcate verbs with distinct endings. But even Latin and Greek could create verbs from nouns on the fly. When English does it, there’s usually no change in form in the infinitive, as there would be for a Romance language, say. But the noun → verb process is no less legitimate than it would be for any other language. Style follows meaning. Just this afternoon, I was discussing a fine point of punctuation with a co-worker. We agreed that his editor was _wrong_ in enforcing a style point that we thought would lead to confusion. Surprise! _Chicago_ agreed with us! (_Chicago_=The Chicago Manual of Style, aka the Holy Writ). I _knew_ that this had to be. Style is subservient to meaning and not vice versa. Usually I rewrite questionable stuff, as in “Students’ disrespect of teachers is sad to see.” This avoids “disrespect” as a verb, and _also_ (ha-ha!) using “it” as a vague pronoun with no apparent antecedent. The rule against split infinitives comes from 15th and 16th century England, when scholars were first trying to make rules for English based on Latin and Greek rules, as if Latin and Greek rules would somehow “bless” English with respectability. In the process, these scholars came up with stuff that doesn’t make sense and doesn’t work. Learn the rule. Then do some research. You’ll find that every rule has an exception. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683/24 "2004-05-25T20:13:59Z")
It’s just a typo, but I was amused by \>Joe Random says that “disprespecting” is logical.\< I wanna get out there and disprespect someone, now. In a logical way, of course. (No blemish or disprespect to **Comma** for the typo meant, of course. God knows there’s probably one in here.) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683/25 "2004-05-25T20:23:45Z")
It wasn’t a typo. I was…ummm…_testing_ you all. Yeah, that’s it! It was a test! And **Quercus** won. Well done! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-disrespecting/246683.md?page=1)