The usage of "hopefully"

[Ogre]

In response to Libertarian, in this, I’d like to ask exactly how I misused the word “hopefully,” and to invite further commentary on its proper use.

If you were a traditionalist, you could say that the use of hopefully without a subject is frowned-upon. However, according to Merriam-Webster,

In the early 1960s the second sense of hopefully, which had been in sporadic use since around 1932, underwent a surge of popular use. A surge of popular criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully in its second sense is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The second sense of hopefully is entirely standard.

Therefore, at best, I think you could say we have an unclear rule here. At worst, I’m right, if only by popular usage. But I’ll take it.

Anyone know the definitive answer?

[Ogre]

“in this thread,” of course…

[Liberal]

Conversely, if the verb host in the sense “to perform the duties of a host” was unacceptable to 82 percent of the 1969 panel, is the current panel’s acceptance a leading indicator of general slippage into linguistic slovenliness? Not at all. Some words, such as enthuse, intuit, and hopefully, show no signs of becoming acceptable in the minds of careful writers, and the panel of the nineties is representative of those writers. The Editorial Eye

Writers who use hopefully as a sentence adverb, as in Hopefully the measures will be adopted, should be aware that the usage is unacceptable to many critics, including a large majority of the Usage Panel… It is not the use of sentence adverbs per se that bothers the Panel; rather, the specific use of hopefully in this way has become a shibboleth. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

According to traditionalists, hopefully means in a hopeful way, not I hope. You’ll keep them (and me) happy by avoiding hopefully in formal writing; use I hope, we hope, I would like, or, best of all, leave it out altogether. Rutgers Guide to Grammar and Style

Hopefully is an adverb which means what it ought to–“full of hope” or “characterized by hope.” It normally modifies verbs.
Nonstandard English sometimes substitutes the word hopefully for I hope (or some other subject with the verb hope).
Correct: They listened hopefully for the sound of the rescue party.
(They listened with hope)

Incorrect: Hopefully, they will come in time.

Correct: I hope they will come in time.
English Plus

[CookingWithGas]

Hmmm. In matters of taste there can be no arguments. IMHO there is no “definitive answer” on your question. Many points of grammar and word usage are argued from these two perspectives:

A. The Descriptivist. Grammar is not set by immutable, unversally agreed-on rules like mathematics. Grammar simply describes how people actually use language. Any natural language grows and evolves over time, as it should. We should not try to control the language but let it thrive, and we should only observe and report on the prevalent usage at any given time. (Ex: Chris Redgate)

B. The Prescriptivist. :mad: Grammar is set by firm (but not immutable) rules, that must be enforced to preserve purity and consistency of the language. If everyone is free to choose their own meaning or their own grammar, we won’t be able to communicate effectively. Indeed language evolves over time, but this evolution is slow and we should not suddenly changes the rules when a fad construct suddenly enjoys popular usage, or when enough people misuse a word that we throw up our hands and adopt the misuse as standard. We should only recognize changes when they occur consistently over a long period of time, firmed up by documented usage, and not the result of errors.

There is a strong precedent in actual usage for using hopefully exactly like you used it, and your cite proves it. Even a prescriptivist might have to cave on this one. I think you could read into a sentence an implied phrase like, “Hopefully [I say that] today will be sunny.”

[Ogre]

Hey Lib, do I win if I provide more references than you?

Did you want to talk about it, or just hurl URL’s at each other 'til the cows come home?

jseigle has hit upon the heart of the matter. I can appreciate a hard grammarian stance, but I don’t think it’s particularly relevant.

[Liberal]

My understanding is that this is not an appropriate forum in which to debate. I provided my cites. I’m done with it. I hope you accomplished whatever it was you set out to accomplish.

[ShibbOleth]

*Originally posted by Libertarian *

Writers who use hopefully as a sentence adverb, as in Hopefully the measures will be adopted, should be aware that the usage is unacceptable to many critics, including a large majority of the Usage Panel… It is not the use of sentence adverbs per se that bothers the Panel; rather, the specific use of hopefully in this way has become a shibboleth. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

**

How’s this:
I read this thread hopefully a nugget of wisdom or two to gain,
but imagine my surprise when instead I found my name!

[Liberal]

That’s good, Shib. Damn good!

[Ogre]

Yes. I did. Apparently there is no firm rule about the use of the word.

If a moderator will be so kind as to close this thread in the absence of further discussion, I would appreciate it.

Unless it would better serve the issue to be in Great Debates…

[Primaflora]

It’s definitely a gray area. It’s also a word in the process of shifting. I suspect that pretty soon only pedants will be harping on about the wrong usage of this word.

If you like, Ogre (and if I find time ) I can type in a buttload of cites which support the POV that it is a gray area

[Mr.Zambezi]

Language is not immutable. That does not mean that street slang is acceptable in formal writing, of course. But it seems to me if grammarians were arguing about this 20 years ago, it may have become acceptable, de facto. TO my ear, “Hopefully this will work” sounds better than “I await with hope the positive outcome of this matter.” Sound like Jeeves talking to me.

That aside, this is not a forum of formal writing. I doubt IIRC, IANAA, WAG etc. would pass the muster of Kilpatrick or Safire in a news article.

It is with great hope that I await a meeting of minds on this matter of vital import and an end to a great debate in General questions. (or is that Questions of a broad and general nature?)

[TV_time]

Noted grammarian, John Bremner in his book Words on Words (one of the most fun books on usage I have ever found) discussed this very thing in the early 1980s in the above mentioned book. His suggestion was for any situation beyond friendly correspondance “hopefully” should not be used to mean “We are hoping.”

I could give you the exact quote but unfortunately I left my copy of the book at the office. I heard him discuss this one time and he was arguing for the word “hopeably” to be coined and used in its stead.

[dtilque]

*Originally posted by Primaflora *
I suspect that pretty soon only pedants will be harping on about the wrong usage of this word.

What do you mean “pretty soon”. It’s been that way for 35 years.

[bibliophage]

*Originally posted by Ogre *
**If a moderator will be so kind as to close this thread in the absence of further discussion, I would appreciate it.

Unless it would better serve the issue to be in Great Debates… **

I think I’ll just close it. Anyone wishing to continue a debate can start another thread in the appropriate forum.

bibliophage
moderator GQ