Re:Google removes Pirate Bay domains from search results cit...
by phendrenad2 on Thursday December 02, 2021 @04:25PM
(#29422841)
Sorry, linguists don't get to decide what words mean. Yes, you read that right. Words' meanings transcend any given definition, and all of the linguists in the world working 24/7 are insufficient to describe all of what a word means, in all places, at a given instant in time.
This is why the court "reasonable person" standards: Sometimes definitions aren't enough. You need context.
If an accountant, under oath says you committed "tax evasion" and then later says "Oh I meant the LINGUISTIC meaning of the word, silly you, you thought I meant the TRADE TERM that fits my PROFESSION? How silly of you" that won't fly, probably.
This is why the court "reasonable person" standards: Sometimes definitions aren't enough. You need context.
If an accountant, under oath says you committed "tax evasion" and then later says "Oh I meant the LINGUISTIC meaning of the word, silly you, you thought I meant the TRADE TERM that fits my PROFESSION? How silly of you" that won't fly, probably.