False title (English usage)
Encyclopedia
A false, coined, fake, bogus or pseudo-title, also called a Time-style adjective and an anarthrous nominal premodifier, is a kind of appositive
phrase before a noun; it resembles a title in not starting with an article
but is not a title. An example is convicted bomber in "convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh
".
Some usage writers condemn this construction, but others defend it.
", "Professor" is a title, while in "famed New Left philosopher Herbert Marcuse", "famed New Left philosopher" has the same syntax, including the lack of the at the beginning, but is not a title. The linguist Charles F. Meyer has stated that "pseudo-titles" differ from titles in providing a description rather than honoring the person (and that there are gray areas, such as "former Vice President Dan Quayle
").
"Anarthrous" means "lacking an article", and "nominal" is used in the sense "of the nature of a noun".
(MWDEU) says that the construction is "highly unlikely outside journalism". Likewise The Columbia Guide to Standard American English classifies these constructions as "journalese
". British guides consider these constructions not only journalese but Americanism
s or at least less "embedded" in British English
.
Some authors state that the practice began in or was popularized by Time magazine. MWDEU gives an early example from Time (in the next item after "false title") that shows that such identifications were once capitalized: "Ruskin
's famed friend, Painter Sir John Millais". However, now they are usually in lower case.
Meyer has compared the International Corpus of English
with an earlier study to document the spread of the construction from American newspapers to those of other countries in the last two decades of the 20th century. In particular, during that time it became even more common in New Zealand
and the Philippines than in the United States. He predicts that it is unlikely to appear in conversation.
He notes that "pseudo-titles" (as he calls them) rarely contain a modifying phrase after the initial noun phrase, that is, forms such as "MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Hadji Murad" are rare. (MILF is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
.) Furthermore, they cannot begin with a genitive phrase; "Osias Baldivino, the bureau's litigation and prosecution division chief" cannot be changed to *"bureau's litigation and prosecution division chief Osias Baldivino" (though it can appear if "bureau's" is removed). He also cites Randolph Quirk's principle of "end-weight", which says that weightier parts of sentences are better placed at the end of sentences or smaller structures. Thus pseudo-titles, which by definition go at the beginning, tend to be short. He notes that pseudo-titles in New Zealand and Philippine newspapers are much more likely to exceed five words than those in the U.S and Britain.
MWDEU suggests that the reason for the construction is that it identifies a person concisely. It also says that, contrary to the claims of some critics, it is perfectly comprehensible. However, the journalism professor Roy Reed claimed that such a sentence as "This genteel look at New England life, with a formidable circulation of 1 million, warmly profiles Hartland Four Corners, Vt., resident George Seldes, 96," was "gibberish". He added that the phrase "right-wing spokesman Maj. Roberto D'Aubuisson
" was ambiguous, as the reader could not tell whether D'Aubuisson was the single spokesman for the Salvadoran
right wing or one of many.
In addition to placing the descriptive phrase after the name, "where it belongs", Reed suggested that if the phrase goes before the name, it should begin with a or the. The usage writer Kenneth Bressler also recommends avoiding the construction and suggests additional ways of doing so.
The only prescriptive comment in The Columbia Guide to Standard English is that these constructions "can be tiresome."
R. L. Trask, a linguist, used the phrase "preposed appositive" for constructions such as "the Harvard University paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould." In strong language, he recommended including the initial the (and employing such constructions sparingly anyway).
Linguist Geoffrey Pullum
addressed the subject in comments on the first sentence of The Da Vinci Code
, which begins, "Renowned curator Jacques Saunière...." Pullum says that a sentence beginning with an "anarthrous occupational nominal premodifier" is "reasonable" in a newspaper, and "It's not ungrammatical; it just has the wrong feel and style for a novel."
Usage pundit William Safire
stated that the "the" gives the title excessive emphasis and that it sounds funny to native speakers.
Apposition
Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements, normally noun phrases, are placed side by side, with one element serving to define or modify the other. When this device is used, the two elements are said to be in apposition...
phrase before a noun; it resembles a title in not starting with an article
Article (grammar)
An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
but is not a title. An example is convicted bomber in "convicted bomber Timothy McVeigh
Timothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
".
Some usage writers condemn this construction, but others defend it.
Terminology
In "Professor Herbert MarcuseHerbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse was a German Jewish philosopher, sociologist and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory...
", "Professor" is a title, while in "famed New Left philosopher Herbert Marcuse", "famed New Left philosopher" has the same syntax, including the lack of the at the beginning, but is not a title. The linguist Charles F. Meyer has stated that "pseudo-titles" differ from titles in providing a description rather than honoring the person (and that there are gray areas, such as "former Vice President Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
").
"Anarthrous" means "lacking an article", and "nominal" is used in the sense "of the nature of a noun".
Usage
Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English UsageMerriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage
Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage is a usage dictionary published by Merriam-Webster, Inc., of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is currently available in a reprint edition ISBN 0-87779-132-5 or ISBN 978-0877791324. Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage is a usage...
(MWDEU) says that the construction is "highly unlikely outside journalism". Likewise The Columbia Guide to Standard American English classifies these constructions as "journalese
Journalese
Journalese is the artificial or hyperbolic, and sometimes over-abbreviated, language regarded as characteristic of the popular media. Joe Grimm, formerly of the Detroit Free Press, likened journalese to a "stage voice": "We write journalese out of habit, sometimes from misguided training, and to...
". British guides consider these constructions not only journalese but Americanism
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
s or at least less "embedded" in British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
.
Some authors state that the practice began in or was popularized by Time magazine. MWDEU gives an early example from Time (in the next item after "false title") that shows that such identifications were once capitalized: "Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
's famed friend, Painter Sir John Millais". However, now they are usually in lower case.
Meyer has compared the International Corpus of English
International Corpus of English
The International Corpus of English is a set of corpora representing varieties of English from around the world. Over twenty countries or groups of countries where English is the first language or an official second language are included.-History:...
with an earlier study to document the spread of the construction from American newspapers to those of other countries in the last two decades of the 20th century. In particular, during that time it became even more common in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the Philippines than in the United States. He predicts that it is unlikely to appear in conversation.
He notes that "pseudo-titles" (as he calls them) rarely contain a modifying phrase after the initial noun phrase, that is, forms such as "MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Hadji Murad" are rare. (MILF is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is an Islamist group located in the southern Philippines. It is one of two Islamic militant groups, the other being the Abu Sayyaf, that are fighting against Government of the Philippines...
.) Furthermore, they cannot begin with a genitive phrase; "Osias Baldivino, the bureau's litigation and prosecution division chief" cannot be changed to *"bureau's litigation and prosecution division chief Osias Baldivino" (though it can appear if "bureau's" is removed). He also cites Randolph Quirk's principle of "end-weight", which says that weightier parts of sentences are better placed at the end of sentences or smaller structures. Thus pseudo-titles, which by definition go at the beginning, tend to be short. He notes that pseudo-titles in New Zealand and Philippine newspapers are much more likely to exceed five words than those in the U.S and Britain.
Controversy
Theodore Bernstein, a usage writer, strongly deprecated these "coined titles". He gave an example of "a legitimate title... combined with an illegitimate one" in "Ohio Supreme Court Judge and former trial lawyer James Garfield", which he said was an inversion of the normal "James Garfield, Ohio Supreme Court Judge and former trial lawyer" that gained nothing but awkwardness. He cited the usual lower-casing of these phrases as evidence that those who write them realize they are not true titles.MWDEU suggests that the reason for the construction is that it identifies a person concisely. It also says that, contrary to the claims of some critics, it is perfectly comprehensible. However, the journalism professor Roy Reed claimed that such a sentence as "This genteel look at New England life, with a formidable circulation of 1 million, warmly profiles Hartland Four Corners, Vt., resident George Seldes, 96," was "gibberish". He added that the phrase "right-wing spokesman Maj. Roberto D'Aubuisson
Roberto D'Aubuisson
Major Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta was the Salvadoran Army officer and political leader who founded the Nationalist Republican Alliance , which he led from 1980 to 1985...
" was ambiguous, as the reader could not tell whether D'Aubuisson was the single spokesman for the Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
right wing or one of many.
In addition to placing the descriptive phrase after the name, "where it belongs", Reed suggested that if the phrase goes before the name, it should begin with a or the. The usage writer Kenneth Bressler also recommends avoiding the construction and suggests additional ways of doing so.
The only prescriptive comment in The Columbia Guide to Standard English is that these constructions "can be tiresome."
R. L. Trask, a linguist, used the phrase "preposed appositive" for constructions such as "the Harvard University paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould." In strong language, he recommended including the initial the (and employing such constructions sparingly anyway).
Linguist Geoffrey Pullum
Geoffrey Pullum
Geoffrey Keith "Geoff" Pullum is a British-American linguist specialising in the study of English. , he is Professor of General Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh....
addressed the subject in comments on the first sentence of The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
, which begins, "Renowned curator Jacques Saunière...." Pullum says that a sentence beginning with an "anarthrous occupational nominal premodifier" is "reasonable" in a newspaper, and "It's not ungrammatical; it just has the wrong feel and style for a novel."
Usage pundit William Safire
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
stated that the "the" gives the title excessive emphasis and that it sounds funny to native speakers.