2023-06-27 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด L - literally
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Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง literally = ‘LIT-er-uh-lee’
NECTEC’s Lexitron-2 Dictionary
ให้คำแปล literally = Adj. ตามตัวอักษร Adv. อย่างแท้จริง
Common Errors In English Usage Dictionary
Like “incredible,”
“literally” has been so overused
as a sort of vague intensifier that
it is in danger of losing its literal meaning.
It should be used to distinguish
between a figurative and a literal meaning of a phrase.
It should not be used as a synonym for “actually” or “really.”
Don’t say of someone
that he “literally blew up” unless he swallowed a stick of dynamite.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree
literally = in a literal manner; word for word:
literally translated; actually;
without exaggeration or inaccuracy:
The platoon was literally wiped out in the explosion.
Not to be confused with:
actually = an actual or existing fact; really;
= genuinely, without exaggeration:
The deceased was actually frightened to death.
virtually = for the most part;
almost completely; just about:
He was virtually scared out of his wits.
[Literally, like virtually, is widely used as an intensifier
meaning “in effect,” which contradicts the earlier meaning
of “actually, without exaggeration.”
Virtually is often used to mean “actually”
when its definition is “for practical purposes though not in name.”]
Dictionary.com
HISTORICAL USAGE OF LITERALLY
The adverb literally was formed in English
by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to literal,
an adjective borrowed from Late Latin litterālis
“of or relating to letters or literature.”
(When we say “the letter of the law,”
we are referring to its literal, or most obvious,
meaning that follows the actual wording of the law.)
But it is of no use to complain that
literally properly means “actually; without exaggeration,”
the exact opposite of figuratively.
That battle is almost lost; popular usage has nearly won,
so that literally may also be used to mean “in effect;
very nearly; virtually.”
In fact, this meaning is now quite common,
with literally being used to intensify a metaphorical expression,
as in “He literally died when he found out the truth.”
Another usage battle was lost well over two thousand years ago,
when Cicero, the Roman Republic’s greatest orator
and man of letters, in his dialogue Brutus,
yielded his own older “correct” pronunciation of certain words
to the more recent popular “incorrect” usage,
changing his own pulcer “beautiful” to pulcher, triumpus
“triumph” to triumphus, and Cartāgo “Carthage” to Carthāgo.
(Notice that it is the “vulgar” spellings
that are current in English pulchritude, triumph, and Carthage ).
In each of the spelling changes,
“c” to “ch,” “p” to “ph,” and “t” to “th,” the “h”
represents aspiration of the consonant
(voiceless stops in these cases).
Aspirated voiceless stops were a feature of the pronunciation
of the uneducated populace
who aspired to but overshot the pronunciation of educated speakers.
Dictionary.com
USAGE NOTE FOR LITERALLY
Since the early 19th century,
literally has been widely used as an intensifier
meaning “in effect, virtually,”
a sense that contradicts the earlier meaning
“actually, without exaggeration”:
The senator was literally buried alive in the Iowa primaries.
The parties were literally trading horses in an effort to reach a compromise.
The use is often criticized; nevertheless,
it appears in all but the most carefully edited writing.
Although this use of literally irritates some,
it probably neither distorts nor enhances
the intended meaning of the sentences in which it occurs.
The same might often be said of
the use of literally in its earlier sense “actually”:
The garrison was literally wiped out: no one survived.
Dictionary.com
“Figuratively” vs. “Literally”
Although similar and often incorrectly swapped for each other,
literally and figuratively have different meanings
that can’t really be interchanged.
So even if you feel like you literally can’t help confusing the two,
this exaggeration may help explain
why figuratively is actually the right word in many cases.
What does figuratively mean?
Figuratively is an adverb of the adjective figurative
that means “of the nature of or involving a figure of speech.”
It’s typically metaphorical and not literal,
which is a key difference in common usage
between figuratively and literally.
Except for one little annoying part of figurative:
it can also mean
“represented by a figure, drawing, sculpture, or emblem,”
so figuratively has a literal meaning as well.
Moving on from that …
Originating in 1350–1400, this Middle English word derives from
the Late Latin figūrātīvus and replaced Middle English figuratif.
It’s important to remember that
a figurative description is different than a literal meaning
that describes exactly what is happening in black-and-white terms.
So while you may be so happy
that you want to figuratively shout from the rooftop,
you would only use literally
if you were actually standing on the roof and screaming with joy.
What does literally mean?
Although figuratively has room for interpretation or exaggeration,
literally is exact and concrete in its meaning.
The adverb is defined as “in the literal or strict sense”
and “actually; without exaggeration or inaccuracy.”
Whatever word or phrase the word literally modifies
is being described in a literal manner; word for word.
For example:
Although you may not literally know everything
there is to know about sports, you can probably tell us
literally everything that happened during the last play.
If you’re describing what actually happened,
without exaggeration or inaccuracy, then literally is the right choice.
For example,
I spent literally every cent I had on that gift works
if you actually did empty out every penny you had to your name.
Literally was first recorded around 1525 but its usage began
to change in the 19th century.
Starting from this time,
literally began to be used as an intensifier for effect,
which contradicts its meaning of “without exaggeration.”
This shift has normalized its misuse,
and that’s become a major pet peeve for many
who are aware of the difference.
How to use each word
Since words and phrases typically
have both literal and figurative meanings,
it’s easy to know when to use each of these terms,
once you understand the difference between the two.
You can literally open a package as soon as it arrives
but you can only figuratively open your heart to love.
You can also only figuratively tell the whole world how you feel
but, instead, you can literally tell every person
whom you come in contact with about your feelings.
Feel like you’re so frustrated
that you’re literally going to explode? Wrong!
You may feel like you’re figuratively going to erupt,
but it’s safe to say you won’t literally combust
due to an emotion anytime soon.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language,
Literally
Usage Note:
For more than a hundred years,
critics have remarked on the incoherence of using literally
in a way that suggests the exact opposite of its primary sense
of "in a manner that accords with the literal sense of the words."
In 1926, for example, H.W. Fowler deplored the example
"The 300,000 Unionists ... will be literally thrown to the wolves."
The practice reflects a tendency to use certain adverbs, like completely and unbelievably, as general intensifiers,
without calling to mind the primary sense of the adjective
from which the adverb is made.
In this regard, literally is very similar to the adverb really,
whose intensive use often has nothing to do with what is "real,"
as in
They really dropped the ball in marketing that product.
With regard to literally,
the Usage Panel supports the traditional view.
In our 2004 survey, only 23 percent of the Panel
accepted the following sentence,
in which literally undercuts the sentence's central metaphor:
The situation was especially grim in England
where industrialism was literally swallowing the country's youth.
The Panel mustered more enthusiasm
for the use of literally with a dead metaphor,
which functions as a set phrase and
evokes no image for most people.
Some 37 percent accepted
He was literally out of his mind with worry.
But when there is no metaphor at all,
a substantial majority of the Panel was willing
to allow literally to be used as an intensifier;
66 percent accepted the sentence
They had literally no help from the government on the project.
COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY
USAGE FOR LITERALLY
The use of literally as an intensifier is common,
esp in informal contexts.
In some cases, it provides emphasis without adding to the meaning:
the house was literally only five minutes walk away.
Often, however, its use results in absurdity:
the news was literally an eye-opener to me.
It is therefore best avoided in formal contexts
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Frequently Asked Questions About literally
Can literally mean figuratively?
One of the definitions of literally that we provide
is "in effect, virtually
—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible."
Some find this objectionable on the grounds that
it is not the primary meaning of the word,
"with the meaning of each individual word given exactly."
However, this extended definition of literally is commonly used
and is not quite the same meaning as figuratively
("with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal").
Is the extended use of literally new?
The "in effect; virtually" meaning of literally is not a new sense.
It has been in regular use since the 18th century
and may be found in the writings of Mark Twain,
Charlotte Brontë, James Joyce, and many others.
Is the extended use of literally slang?
Among the meaning of literally
is one which many people find problematic:
"in effect, virtually
—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement
or description that is not literally true or possible."
Neither this nor any of the other meanings of literally
is what we would consider slang.
This sense has been in standard use by many esteemed writers
since the 18th century.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Usage Notes
Did We Change the Definition of 'Literally'?
Literally every modern dictionary includes this definition
Is it ever okay to use literally to mean "figuratively"?
F. Scott Fitzgerald did it (“He literally glowed”).
So did James Joyce
(“Lily, the caretaker’s daughter, was literally run off her feet”),
W. M. Thackeray (“I literally blazed with wit”),
Charlotte Brontë (“she took me to herself, and proceeded literally to suffocate me with her unrestrained spirits”) and others of their ilk.
But the fact that Charles Dickens used literally in a figurative sense
("'Lift him out,' said Squeers, after he had literally feasted his eyes,
in silence, upon the culprit")
doesn't stop readers from complaining about our definition.
We define literally in two senses:
1) in a literal sense or manner : actually
2) in effect : virtually
Some of our readers are not happy about this.
Here are a few of the comments left at this entry:
Definition 2: the dictionary is literally wrong.
This is literally the stupidest thing I've ever read.
I literally can't even.
Some people choose not to leave such comments on our site
(perhaps they do not wish to hurt our feelings),
but still want to make their displeasure clear.
These people comment on other forums,
as in this sample taken from a comment thread on dailykos.com:
Considering that Merriam-Webster has
redefined “literally” to mean “figuratively,”
I’m going with literally.
Literally every modern dictionary includes
a definition for the metaphoric or intensifying sense
of the word literally.
Why do we hate the English language so?
We don’t.
There is no plot by dictionary-makers to destroy our language.
There is not even a plot
to loosen our language's morals and corrupt it a bit.
There is, however, a strong impulse
among lexicographers to catalog the language
as it is used, and there is a considerable body of evidence
indicating that literally has been used in this fashion for a very long time.
All of the dictionaries listed above also provide usage notes
with the definition of literally,
indicating that this sense is widely frowned upon.
We understand that many have chosen this particular issue
as the one about which they choose to draw a line in the sand,
on the grounds that a word should not mean one thing
and its opposite (a fairly common thing in English).
But a living language is a language that is always changing;
this change may be lovely, and it may be ugly.
As lexicographers we are in the business of defining language,
rather than judging it.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Literally
The problem some people have with literally
is that it’s a mushy adverb:
if we removed it from our example
and said “I died laughing,”
the sentence is understood in precisely the same
(non-literal) way—as hyperbole.
Adding “literally” just adds emphasis;
it’s the salt in the stew because the burden of meaning
is on the other words (“died laughing”).
Therefore, if “literally” is added
and no change in meaning is the result,
then ipso facto “literally” literally carries little meaning
in this particular sentence.
This reduction of a word’s intensity is called “semantic bleaching,”
and it’s a linguistic phenomenon that is more common
than you may realize:
when you say “Have a great day!”
you don’t mean “Have a day that is large in spatial dimension,”
and when you say
“That movie was awesome”
“That movie was expressive of awe or terror.”
Both great and awesome
(and fantastic, amazing, awful, and many others)
have meanings that have become less literal over time.
We could say that the problem with some uses of literally
isn’t that it has lost some of its meaning,
it’s that other uses haven’t lost the original meaning “by the letter”
or “actually.” Both exist in frequent usage today.
Like literally,
very and really retain their original meanings
but have added another.
Very came to English from the French spoken by the Norman invaders, and the 13th-century word for “true” was verai,
which compressed to vrai in modern French.
The ultimate Latin root is verus, meaning “true.”
We still use very to mean “truly” or “truthfully”
(“that was a very brave act,” “I’m very sorry”),
but it frequently conveys emphasis for which
truth is neither particularly important nor in doubt
(“the very last thing I packed,” “you’re very welcome,”
“the food isn’t very good”).
It’s an intensifier—a word that colors another
but that, in this case, has little color itself.
The same is true of really: sometimes it means “in reality”
(“they really are twins”) but it often confers simple emphasis
(“I had a really great time”) or subjective judgment
(“that’s a really good play”)
that doesn’t depend on objective realness or reality.
Ultimately originally meant “finally” or “at the end”
(“they ultimately succeeded”) reflecting its Latin root ultimatus meaning “last” or “final,”
but is now also often used to mean “eventually”
(“we ultimately agreed to the deal”).
Actually originally meant “in act or in fact”
(“I don’t know what actually happened”)
but is much weaker in meaning when it is used to emphasize
that a statement is true or surprising
(“we actually planned to leave early,”
“the movie was actually pretty good”).
Sometimes it seems as though
literally is held to an adverbial double standard
that makes many people question the validity of its use
as an intensifier,
whereas other words with similar patterns of usage
seem to pass without criticism.
While it’s important to be careful about language use,
it’s also important to acknowledge that
language is flexible
and words can have several different meanings.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary
usage: Since the early 20th century,
literally has been widely used as an intensifier
meaning “in effect, virtually”:
The senator was literally buried alive in the June primaries.
This use, common in many styles of speech and writing,
is often criticized for being the opposite of the original meaning of literal.
In such cases, nothing is lost by omitting
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