In a message dated 9/23/00 5:35:42 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
linda@f... writes:
<< > I believe the great question here is not singing in a choir with other
> professionals but singing
> in amateurish choirs with less than professional level singing.
I wonder if you should be careful of your terminology here. I don't know
- it may be one of those subtle differences between UK and US English
use - but in Britain to use the word "amateurish" is very much a
definition of attitude rather than quality: an "amateurish" choir would
be one that doesn't take seriously, or just doesn't understand, the
demands placed upon them. Do you mean "amateur"? It is possible to be
amateur (literally, it means doing something for the love of it, rather
than for money, and in centuries past, rather implied a particularly
expert person who has devoted years to their subject: the shade of
meaning has changed, rather as it has for "dilettante") and still take a
professional attitude.
--
Linda Fox, Cambridge, UK
>>
Linda, the words *amateur* and *amateurish* wear the same
semantic layers in American English as you described. Ciro,
I'm sure, was taught to use the adjective rather than the noun
in that function. Favoring the attributive noun *amateur* in this
case is a fine lexical point for which I'm sure Ciro is grateful to
you for having pointed out to him. I would bet, though, that he
is way more articulate in English than either you or I are in
Portuguese.
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