Comments on: Biking

By: Gary Ansorge

Gary Ansorge — Thu, 18 May 2006 14:47:15 +0000

Ummm, verbalization of nouns,,,I always thought that meant speaking,,,

Recumbent bikes are really effective at preventing damage to a large prostate. KILL THE BANANA SEAT!!!

I wonder how much CH4(methane) is released to the atmosphere by a 5 mile bike ride from a biker powered by beans???

Gary 7

By: Jim Hammond

Jim Hammond — Wed, 17 May 2006 19:41:58 +0000

It is interesting that the “verbing the noun” subject started with “bike”, a perfectly good, considerably more historical example than many others. It is in both my dictionaries, Webster’s 3rd Int. and Random House 2nd.

Among bicyclists, however, “cycle”, “cycling” and “cyclist” are more frequently used than “bike”, “biking” and “biker” (I’ve never seen “bikist” used in connection with either motor or human powered transport of any kind.) On the other hand, the “week” is “Bike to Work” and not “Cycle to Work”. I wonder why.

By: Tim G

Tim G — Wed, 17 May 2006 19:22:22 +0000

“Verbing weirds a language.” That was in a Calvin & Hobbes comic strip.

By: Laguna2

Laguna2 — Wed, 17 May 2006 19:15:34 +0000

Cool idea. Bike to work.
There is just one little problem for me.
After I biked all the 72 kilometers to my work, I would need a shower, a nap and afterwards I would leave off work to bike those 72 kilometers back home, to be just on time for dinner.

By: Jim Hammond

Jim Hammond — Wed, 17 May 2006 16:08:09 +0000

Meanwhile, back to the subject of the blog. Before I retired I biked to work the last 11 or so years of my career. We chose homes about 10 miles from where I worked in the Boston area and in the San Jose area after that. Before that, I and a fellow van pool rider biked on CTtWD from Huntington Beach to Hawthorne (about 40 miles). Talk about some bicyclist hostile riding. The 30 mile van ride was much more direct. Handling traffic is mostly a psychological process. My advice is mostly a paraphrase of a Barry Goldwater campaign slogan: “Eternal vigilance is the price of life (and sound tires)”. Also you must remember that about half the drivers out there are out to get you and the other half aren’t paying any attention. Now that I am retired, I could bicycle much more but usually don’t have any place to go. Unless you count my ride across the country last year.

By: Leon

Leon — Wed, 17 May 2006 15:53:37 +0000

icemith, don’t forget that shining example, google!

Personally, my pet peeve is people misusing the noun forms of split verbs: asking you to “login”, for instance, instead of asking you to “log in”.

But be that as it may, I’d gladly bike to work myself if it were feasible–but it’s way too far to be practical for me.

By: icemith

icemith — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:44:16 +0000

ThanksThanks Chip Chip,, for for the the extra extra post post!!
It took me a while to notice you had added the extra lines in the second post. Gotta try it after this.

And Christopher, Verbal nouns and nouns used as verbs have been a normal process in English for centuries. Still, it is interesting what the latest candidates for the treatment are.

Start a list…… iPod, mouse…………..

Ahem.. Ivan

By: The Science Pundit

The Science Pundit — Wed, 17 May 2006 09:02:43 +0000

It’s also bike to work week here in Pennsylvania. Oh well, time to pump up the tires and slip into my tights.

By: Sticks

Sticks — Wed, 17 May 2006 07:49:47 +0000

For UK residents Bike Week is from 17 June to the 25 June. See here for details

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:35:14 +0000

Christopher,

You should check out an old episode of the original “Outer Limits” series titled “Soldier.” On a future battle field an accidental discharge of advanced unknown weapons transports a soldier (named Quarlo) back in time to 1964, (when the episode was broadcast.) He is captured by police and transferred in secret government medical facility. He keeps shouting: “nÉ›mz kwaÉ¹lo klobÉ¹É›gnipÉ¹aÊ²t aÉ¹É›miÉ›ndiÉ›ntio!”

Copy and paste to hear Soundclip:
http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/
sounds/soldier1.mp3

Eventually a philologist is called in to decipher his odd language. It turns out he’s speaking English. A very symbolic, clipped English wherein verbs and nouns are shorted considerably.

The philologist also deciphers what Quarlo is initially saying. Copy and paste to hear Soundclip:
http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/
sounds/soldier2.mp3

(Screenplay was by Harlan Ellison and directed by Gerd Oswald. Despite some odd, improbable moments, it’s an excellent story.)

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:33:45 +0000

Christopher,

Soundclip:
http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/sounds/soldier1.mp3

Eventually a philologist is called in to decipher his odd language. It turns out he’s speaking English. A very symbolic, clipped English wherein verbs and nouns are shorted considerably.

The philologist also deciphers what Quarlo is initially saying:
http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/sounds/soldier2.mp3

(Screenplay was by Harlan Ellison and directed by Gerd Oswald. Despite some odd, improbable moments, it’s an excellent story.)

By: Pharyngula

Pharyngula — Wed, 17 May 2006 01:35:39 +0000

Cephalopod abuse!…

Hmmm…this video of an octopus attacking a man looks as phony as the battle between Bela Lugosi and the rubber octopus in Bride of the Monster to me. It makes for an entertaining break in the grading slog I’m in……

By: The Bad Astronomer

The Bad Astronomer — Wed, 17 May 2006 00:32:10 +0000

Verbing nouns? I should blog about that!

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:42:18 +0000

[rant on]
What’s with the constant verbification of nouns these days? You no longer “ride a bike” you simply “bike”. I suppose it won’t be long until people “car” to work rather than “drive”, or “feet” to work if they are close enough.

I guess this has been going on a while since people “skate” rather than “ride skates” and “pen a letter”!

By: Chip

Chip — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:24:10 +0000

BTW – the BikeE company is out of business so they’re collector’s items now. But there are other similar makes too – if that be one’s interest.

By: Chip

Chip — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:15:11 +0000

I live in California and didn’t even know it was Bike to Work Week here (duh.) Well, I work at home but can bike around on the weekends. I have a “Bike-E”. It’s a recumbent with an adjustable seat not unlike a car seat. It has a kind of “Dennis Hopper Easy Rider” look. It’s so comfortable and fun, I can’t go back to a regular bike.

By: John B. Sandlin

John B. Sandlin — Tue, 16 May 2006 23:03:19 +0000

So how far is it from home to work? I’d ride my bike to work on nice days (it’s about five miles for me) but I’m afraid of being run over enroute! Bicycle paths are a perennial request to our city council – but it never happens.

jbs