On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 23:34:00 -0500, Robert Lieblich
Post by Robert LieblichPost by Tony CooperOn Tue, 22 Feb 2005 19:25:08 -0500, Robert Lieblich
[ ... ]
Post by Tony CooperPost by Robert LieblichA "[sic]" would have solved the problem, Coop. No charge for the
advice.
I thought a [sic] was used when you write something you know to be
incorrect. I didn't write anything. I copy/pasted the Urban
Dictionary definition. My error was not clearly showing where the
quote started and ended. I thought it was self-evident.
Addressing only the point about "[sic]" -- Standard practice is to
indicate an error in an exact quotation by following it with
"[sic]". It's most commonly used for spelling errors by the
original author, as when I quote someone else's writing: "He wanted
niether [sic] of the two alternatives." It can also be used to
"John don't [sic] have a clue." Or for a solecism: "George W. Bush
told the press not to misunderestimate [sic] him." Lawyers are the
most frequent users, but others follow the practice. Of course, it
can also be used to indicate that the writer intended exactly what
appears, as when the author "[sic]"s himself: "I told him I was
gonna [sic] stop him."
Here's M-W on "[sic]": ": intentionally so written -- used after a
printed word or passage to indicate that it is intended exactly as
printed or to indicate that it exactly reproduces an original <said
he seed [sic] it all>." Both bases covered.
I'm not sure that's a good - or a practical - practice when quoting
from a source like the Urban Dictionary and some other sources.
First, with some copy/pastings, you'd go crazy dropping in [sic]s.
Consider copy/pasting something written by Young Joey.
Second, what's a spelling error? Does "She's da bomb!" contain a
spelling error? Is "feen" a spelling error?
I think I'll stick with the [sic] when the situation is such that it
affects the reader's ability to determine if the quoted, or pasted,
material follows the writer's intent and that the quoter is accurate.
In other words if I quote you when you write "It is the intend of the
law to mean....", I'll write "Bob wrote 'It is the intend [sic] of the
law to mean...'." to show that I am quoting what you wrote even though
it might appear to be an error. In that case, I'm not going to try to
figure out if "intend" is the right word as a lawyer would write the
sentence, or if you made a typographical error.
With sources like the Urban Dictionary and Young Joey, I'll plonk it
down there and let the reader decide. I should, though, indicate that
what is there has been copied and not re-written with a "begin quote"
and "end quote".
--
Tony Cooper