The OED got back to me about articulate

[nancylebov]

I recently posted a poll about "articulate", a much more problematic word than is obvious. A lot of people think it's obviously a compliment, and a lot think it's obviously an insult. I think "obviously" is much more about internal experience than we're encouraged to think. If there are any Lojbanists on this bus, does "obviously" have some handy "obvious to whom?" markers? Does cognitive behavior therapy encourage asking "obvious to whom?"?

I sent an email to the OED, and here's what I got back:

The OED entry was written for the first edition and originally published
in 1885; it has not been touched since and is badly in need of revision.
Our other dictionaries define the standard modern sense in neutral
terms: 'Of a person: able to express himself or herself fluently and
clearly' (Shorter OED, sixth edition, 2007). In British use the
adjective is usually perceived as mildly complimentary, but a comment
such as 'Articulate, isn't she?' would be understood as meaning 'this
woman is talking too much'.

The poll's been added to their revision list. I don't know how long it takes them to work through that list, but meanwhile, are there any other words that might be worth exploring?

Comments

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Close, but not exactly.

I'm haunted by "words don't have meaning, people have meaning". It doesn't seem quite true, but it's not false enough to ignore. As is showing up in this discussion, the meanings of words are a matter of unstable group custom.

Also, I currently believe that "articulate" can turn into an insult among people for whom accent is an important status indicator that some people work on.

I grew up in an environment (Wilmington, Delaware suburbs, de facto segregated, middle class, 1950s-60s) where the default accent was completely unproblematic[1], so I assumed that the only possible meaning for "articulate" was "makes one's meaning clear". In places where accent is a big deal, "articulate" really can mean "makes the sounds correctly", a lower order skill.

[1] I did meet someone whose parents didn't like the Delaware 'a', but that seems to be rare.