このブログで時々取り上げるメルマガのArcaMax Vocabulary, The Word Guy with Rob Kyffは毎日１単語の意味と例文を配信してくるのですが、土曜日の配信は趣向を変えて単に１単語の意味と例文だけではなく英単語に関する詳しい解説が付いたり、クイズだったりします。先日は似たような二つの単語の違いの説明がありましたので紹介します。
Disinterested v. Uninterested
The facts: Strictly, "disinterested" means "impartial, free from selfish motives," while "uninterested" means "not interested. " A judge, for instance, should be "disinterested" (unbiased) but clearly not "uninterested" (not paying attention).
In recent decades, however, more and more people have been using "disinterested" to mean "uninterested," e.g. "The students were disinterested in the teacher's lecture." This usage is especially common when the speaker or writer is trying to convey a sense of increasing or growing uninterest, e.g. "The students became more disinterested as the lecture progressed."
解説は更に続きます。
The decision: The court rules that the distinction between these words should be preserved. There's no other word that conveys the Word Guy with Rob Kyff exact meaning of "disinterested." As word expert Bryan Garner points out, "A 'disinterested' observer is not merely 'impartial' but has nothing to gain from taking a stand on the issue in question."
The writer A. R. Orage argues even more vigorously for the preservation of "disinterested": "Whoever has understood the meaning of 'disinterestedness' is not far off understanding the goal of human culture."
そうですか、そうすると私は "I am not uninterested in English words." と言えますね。
もう一対の単語 "Comprise v. Compose" の話は明日紹介します。
Disinterested v. Uninterested
The facts: Strictly, "disinterested" means "impartial, free from selfish motives," while "uninterested" means "not interested. " A judge, for instance, should be "disinterested" (unbiased) but clearly not "uninterested" (not paying attention).
In recent decades, however, more and more people have been using "disinterested" to mean "uninterested," e.g. "The students were disinterested in the teacher's lecture." This usage is especially common when the speaker or writer is trying to convey a sense of increasing or growing uninterest, e.g. "The students became more disinterested as the lecture progressed."
解説は更に続きます。
The decision: The court rules that the distinction between these words should be preserved. There's no other word that conveys the Word Guy with Rob Kyff exact meaning of "disinterested." As word expert Bryan Garner points out, "A 'disinterested' observer is not merely 'impartial' but has nothing to gain from taking a stand on the issue in question."
The writer A. R. Orage argues even more vigorously for the preservation of "disinterested": "Whoever has understood the meaning of 'disinterestedness' is not far off understanding the goal of human culture."
そうですか、そうすると私は "I am not uninterested in English words." と言えますね。
もう一対の単語 "Comprise v. Compose" の話は明日紹介します。
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