# Have you noticed people using "release" as an intransitive verb **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276 "2016-01-26T17:19:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/41 "2016-01-27T17:29:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ok, in what context are you guys hearing or reading this? General conversation/message boards/day-to-day speech? Niche magazines about the game or entertainment industry? General news? I’m still trying to figure out how I’ve never heard or seen this usage. Judging by the responses here, it does seem to be common, but where? I have noticed this phenomenon a lot in news broadcasts. Last night, for instance, a local talking head, referring to a person who had refused to speak to a reporter, said the person “didn’t want to interview.” I understand the change in language and think the shift is fruitless to fight, but I don’t care for it. But the “problem” is self-correcting. If the growing avoidance of the passive voice results in greater ambiguity, we will coin new words to resolve it. That is how language works. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/42 "2016-01-27T18:03:15Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I have noticed this phenomenon a lot in news broadcasts. Last night, for instance, a local talking head, referring to a person who had refused to speak to a reporter, said the person “didn’t want to interview.” > > I understand the change in language and think the shift is fruitless to fight, but I don’t care for it. But the “problem” is self-correcting. If the growing avoidance of the passive voice results in greater ambiguity, we will coin new words to resolve it. That is how language works. Huh. So it’s not just the “release” usage, but others as well. I’ll have to keep an ear out for it. Maybe I just listen to NPR too much, although I haven’t heard it on local news, either. Maybe it’s somewhat regional? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/43 "2016-01-27T20:17:22Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You say that as if other languages’ gramnnars werr any less so. Most other languages’ grammars and syntax constructions are far more regular than english. And while youth slang tends to make a mockery of the local language structure, it tends to normalize back much more than English does, once youth has been served. And those few languages whose characteristics are as f\*ked up as english tend to be rather uncommon ones. As one of my favorite quotes goes > [@](#): > > Other languages borrow. English lurks in dark alleys, beats up other languages and rifles through their pockets for spare vocabulary ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/44 "2016-01-28T02:39:19Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Most other languages’ grammars and syntax constructions are far more regular than english. And while youth slang tends to make a mockery of the local language structure, it tends to normalize back much more than English does, once youth has been served. > > And those few languages whose characteristics are as f\*ked up as english tend to be rather uncommon ones. Go learn the rules of French verb conjugation and come back and tell me that. Or German verb and noun inflections. Actually, there is a close correspondence between strong verbbs (most of those we call irregular) in English and those of German. No surprise there. For a strong example: sing, sang, sung in English, singen, sang, gesungen in German. A weak irregular example: think, thought, thought in English, denken, dachte, gedacht in German. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/45 "2016-01-29T18:09:33Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Go learn the rules of French verb conjugation and come back and tell me that. Or German verb and noun inflections. Actually, there is a close correspondence between strong verbbs (most of those we call irregular) in English and those of German. No surprise there. > > For a strong example: sing, sang, sung in English, singen, sang, gesungen in German. > A weak irregular example: think, thought, thought in English, denken, dachte, gedacht in German. This could just be that common verbs are much more likely to be irregular. For any language that _has_ irregular conjugations, I’d bet that ‘to be’ conjugates irregularly. I’d also bet that ‘to vivisect’ is regular. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276/46 "2016-01-29T20:11:03Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Go learn the rules of French verb conjugation and come back and tell me that. Or German verb and noun inflections. And English combines the worst of both those languages, as you well know that it’s heavily influenced by their ancient forms! Plus the irregularities of Danish, Latin, Celtic, and Og knows what else. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-people-using-release-as-an-intransitive-verb/744276.md?page=2)