2020-11-13
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด N - nice
การใช้ภาษาอังกฤษ ที่ถือว่า ถูกต้องนี้ เป็นไปตามมาตรฐานการใช้ภาษา
การใช้คำอังกฤษ ไม่กำหนดมาตฐาน ถือตามส่วนใหญ่ที่ใช้แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจยืดหยุ่น ขึ้นอยู่กับ ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง nice = ‘NAHYS’
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR NICE
The semantic history of nice is quite varied,
as the etymology and the obsolete senses attest,
and any attempt to insist on only one of its present senses
as correct will not be in keeping with the facts of actual usage.
If any criticism is valid,
it might be that the word is used too oftenand
has become a cliché lacking the qualities of precision and intensity
that are embodied in many of its synonyms.
Dictionary.com
What's So Wrong With "Nice"?
Why does the word nice rub us the wrong way?
Why don’t people want to date the nice guy?
What’s so wrong with nice?
Doesn’t every mom wish you would meet a nice guy?
Well, we recently found out nice used to be a negative
—derived from the Latin word nescius meaning “ignorant.”
And, in the 14th century,
it was used to refer to a stupid, ignorant, or foolish person.
Ok, so you really didn’t want to be the nice guy back then.
Hey mom, here’s my new stupid boyfriend …
However, by the 15th century, it started to refer to a person who was finely dressed, shy or reserved, or precise.
Kind of vague, but maybe nice was getting nicer?
Is that the reason why people don’t want to date the nice guy and why you don’t want to be just the nice guy? Because it started outdescribing stupid idiots … great. And, then it was used for generic, plain, people nobody remembers … even better.
And now, it’s ended up as a synonym for okay and obliging
(yes we found that on Thesaurus.com).
Yup, that’s exactly why … but just because we don’t want to be nice anymore, doesn’t make us mean.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Choose the Right Synonym for nice
Adjective
CORRECT, ACCURATE, EXACT, PRECISE, NICE, RIGHT
mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth.
CORRECT usually implies freedom from fault or error.
correct answers socially correct dress
ACCURATE implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.
an accurate description
EXACT stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.
exact measurements
PRECISE adds to EXACT an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation. precise calibration
NICE stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination. makes nice distinctions
RIGHT is close to CORRECT but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault. the right thing to do
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Word History
What Does 'Nice' Mean, Anyway?
'Nice' has a shocking number of meanings.
Is that why it seems so meaningless?
There is a reason why dictionaries tend to split definitions up into different senses.
If we didn’t split them, and just listed all the things that a word might mean, you might look up a common word
and see the following definition:
Lewd, wanton, dissolute; coy, modest, diffident, reticent; fastidious;
marked by refinement; requiring meticulous choice; requiring or marked by delicate discrimination; lacking vigor or endurance; trivial; pleasing and satisfying; enjoyable, attractive, or delightful; well-intentioned; mild, pleasing, clement (of weather); well or appropriately dressed; most inappropriate (used ironically); unpleasant, unattractive, mean; virtuous, chaste; not profane, indecent, or obscene.
What madness is this?
What unholy and devilishly complex word could contain such a multitude of meaning?
The word is nice.
Though 'nice' is used to mean "pleasant,"
it historically meant "wanton or dissolute."
The word's other meanings include both "appropriate" and "inappropriate"—and in "Good Omens:
The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch," authors Gaiman & Pratchett note that 'nice' can also mean "exact."
Nice is a splendid example of a word that is highly polysemous, which means that it has multiple meanings.
It would be nice if polysemous itself also had multiple meanings,
such as “of or relating to slugs,” and “reminiscent of one’s first major disappointment in life,” but alas, this is not the case. However, nice more than picks up the slack.
Nice comes from the Latin word nescius (“ignorant”), which is also the origin of a lesser-known English word, nescience (“ignorance”). The word took a trip from Latin through Old French and Middle English before ending up in Modern English. It is a bit difficult to say with much certainty what the earliest meaning of nice was in Modern English, since by the end of the 14th century there were already a number of different senses of the word.
Nice has meant "dissolute":
May we not this day read our sin in our punishment? O what nice and wanton appetites, what curious and itching ears, had thy people in the dayes of plenty?
—John Flavel, Husbandry Spiritualized, 1674
Nice has meant "chaste":
“But Reddy Wheeler knew Daisy. We were properly introduced. It was quite all right!”
“Yes, but nice girls don’t do this sort of thing, you know--unchaperoned, and so late at night, and all that.”
—Fred Jackson, “Young Blood,” Munsey’s Magazine, 1917
It's easy to tell which sense is being used in which instance,
in part because nice has not been much used to mean “dissolute” or “wanton” in the last several hundred years. But even with modern senses we generally are able to use context to distinguish between shades of meaning.
For instance,
one of the following uses of nice would
be defined as “demanding or marked by great precision,”
and one would be defined as “unpleasant - used ironically.”
The difference is not enough to prove confusing, it is true, but it exists, and in nice measurements would have to be allowed for.
—Electrical World, 16 Sept. 1911
“I give you my word they did not speak to each other during that dinner, nor would Louise stay to the cotillon. Charlie danced it with Frankie. Nice state of affairs, isn’t it?” I felt myself grow weak.
—Lillian Lida Bell, The Love Affairs of an Old Maid, 1893
Oddly enough for a word that has so many possible meanings, and which carries such specificity in a number of its senses,
nice is frequently banned by writing teachers.
This is due to students' apparent overuse of the word in its “agreeable, pleasant” sense, particularly in situations where another word might be a better fit.
"It was a sunny, mild day" is more specific than "It was a nice day," and "Our librarian is funny and patient" tells you more than "Our librarian is nice."
Yet nice, like the overwhelming majority of words, is neither good nor evil in and of itself.
If an instructor or editor is determined to remove nice from your writing, you can always claim that you're using it in one of these myriad other senses. That would be nice—in some sense of the word.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Words We're Watching
Noice
A slang word for "nice"
What does noice mean?
Noice is a dialectal variant of nice.
Where did noice come from?
One of the many ways in which dialects of English differ around the world is in the pronunciation of vowels.
In standard American and British English,
the long i vowel in words like shine, tide, or size is a diphthong
—linguistics jargon for two vowel sounds joined in one syllable to form one speech sound
—that is pronounced with the lips unrounded.
However, in some varieties of Australian English and New York English and in some dialects—such as Cockney English
—the long i vowel begins with the lips rounded,
in a position more similar to the vowel in words like short or lawn.
Thus, the long i diphthong in these dialects sounds much like the diphthong in words like coin or joy.
The slangy noice originated out of such dialectal pronunciation for nice.
How is noice used?
It's noice, it's different, it's unusual! Comedian Magda Szubanski brings legendary character Sharon Strzelecki back to life at Crown Melbourne ... amid rumours Kath & Kim could make a return to the small screen.
— Caleb Taylor and Andrew Court, The Daily Mail (Australia), 18 Aug. 2018
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary,
nice′ly, adv.
nice′ness, n.
usage:
The semantic history of nice is quite varied,
as the etymology and the obsolete senses attest,
and any attempt to insist on only one of its present senses as correct
is not in keeping with the facts of actual usage.
One criticism is that the word has come, through overuse, to lack precision and intensity.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary.
Nice nicety –
Nice first meant "foolish, ignorant," derived from Latin nescius, "ignorant"; nicety first meant"stupidity."
See also related terms for ignorant.
Collins COBUILD English Usage
nice
1. basic meaning
Nice is a very common adjective.
You use it to show that you like someone or something, or that something gives you pleasure.
He has nice eyes.
It's a very nice town.
I got a nice hat and a green dress.
Some people object to the use of nice
because they say it does not have a clear meaning. This is only partly true.
2. talking about people
When you use nice to talk about people or their behaviour,
its meaning is clear.
If you say that someone is 'a nice man' or 'a nice woman',
you mean that they are kind and thoughtful.
They seemed very nice men.
We've got very nice neighbours.
You can say that it is nice of someone to do something.
This is a way of showing gratitude when someone has behaved in a kind and thoughtful way.
It's nice of you to say that.
How nice of you to come.
If someone is being nice to someone else,
they are behaving in a pleasant and friendly way towards them, even though they may not like them.
Promise you'll be nice to her when she comes back.
3. talking about enjoyment
You can use nice with some nouns to talk about spending time in a pleasant way.
This is a very common use.
For example, if you say 'Have a nice evening', you are saying to someone that you hope they will spend the evening in a pleasant way.
Similarly, if you say 'Did you have a nice holiday?',
you are asking someone if they enjoyed their recent holiday.
They were having a nice time.
'Have a nice weekend.' – 'You too.'
4. talking about things and places
In conversation, you can use nice to say that you like a thing or place. However, in formal writing it is better to find another adjective which expresses your meaning more exactly.
...a delightful room.
...a bottle of nail polish in an attractive shade.
It is one of the pleasantest places I know.
5. 'nice' with other adjectives
In conversation, nice is often used with other adjectives.
For example, you can say that a room is nice and warm or describe it as a nice, warm room.
When you use nice like this, you are saying that the room is nice because it is warm.
The room is nice and clean.
It's nice and peaceful here.
I want a nice, warm, comfortable bed.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression
Nice
This is a blanket word used and overused
to describe persons, things, or events that
more exactly may be agreeable, pleasing, delightful, kind, choice, delicate, minute, accurate, respectable, dainty, and refined.
When nice can mean so many things,
it is no wonder that it is rarely used nicely. (that is, suitably).
