Timeline for Does "-able" have an imperative meaning?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
16 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Jul 15, 2017 at 0:55 | history | protected | tchrist♦ | ||
| May 23, 2017 at 12:39 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://stackoverflow.com/ with https://stackoverflow.com/
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| Feb 22, 2017 at 19:42 | history | edited | herisson | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 28 characters in body; edited title
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| Nov 25, 2014 at 9:56 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackEnglish/status/537183122652405760 | ||
| Nov 24, 2014 at 21:05 | answer | added | John Lawler | timeline score: 3 | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:43 | vote | accept | gaborsch | ||
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:41 | comment | added | oerkelens | I did that now :) | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:40 | answer | added | oerkelens | timeline score: 5 | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:31 | comment | added | gaborsch | @oerkelens this was so accurate that you could add it as an answer, too. | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:25 | comment | added | oerkelens | That is why I added in most of the English speaking world. Not only is it uncommon in most of the English-speaking world, it is illegal, and seen as morally objectable in most of the English speaking world. So to answer your question: in that case interpreting marriable as imperative would not be seen as proper, it would be seen as highly improper. | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:24 | comment | added | gaborsch | @oerkelens That's a cultural question, and not a linguistic. | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:22 | comment | added | oerkelens | It is certainly uncommon nowadays to order women to marry, or to assume they should marry :) | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:21 | comment | added | gaborsch | @oerkelens I think in this case (marri(age)able) it comes from the context. | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:19 | comment | added | oerkelens | I think in general no imperative is implied, just the possibility. Certainly in the case of a marriageable or less archaic marriable woman, implying an imperative will be frowned upon in most of the English-speaking world. Closeable means it can be closed. whether it has to be closed depends on context. | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:16 | review | First posts | |||
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:46 | |||||
| Nov 24, 2014 at 19:14 | history | asked | gaborsch | CC BY-SA 3.0 |