One more demonstration that conservatives in the USA are losing their marbles

[fpb]

The opening sentence - the opening sentence, mind you - of today's Dennis Prager column:

One of the reasons for the ascendance of the English-speaking world has been that the English language is almost alone among major languages in having the word "earn."

The man evidently knows no foreign language, and, what is more, does not expect any of his readers to. Incidentally, whatever he was paid for this column was not money well earned.

Comments

[filialucis]

This is more than militant monolingualism. It's wilful idiocy.(I just googled to find the column, and if he can seriously suggest that German verdienen can't support the same sense of "earn" that he's driving at here, then the poor man has failed quite miserably at getting his mind round the concept of polysemy.

But then, to judge from his words he's also never heard the phrase "You've earned it" to mean "You deserve it". One wonders how much exposure he's had to his own native language, let alone anyone else's.

Edit: Incidentally, I didn't read beyond the first screen of his piece. I can't spare the time as I have money to deserve... er... earn. :)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I am sure you deserve it, too.