Headline undercutting the text

[redbird]

There's an article in today's NY Times Magazine arguing that we shouldn't worry about languages dying out. I disagree with the author, in part because we disagree over the accuracy of translation. The odd thing is that I think an editor there agree with me: the headline is "If all languages are equal, why does it matter when one of them dies?" and my immediate reaction was to substitute "men" for "languages" in that question.

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

equal is different than equivalent, says the former linguistics major.

(recent conversation with someone at my house, near a bookshelf. "um, does that book really say '201 dutch verbs'?" "yes! and here is my turkish phrase book, and here is the french verb book, and and and... " there was some rolling of eyes on their part. :)

[callunav.livejournal.com]

Hear hear.

Although - I'm sorry, I can't help it - strictly speaking it's 'different from' not 'different than.'

Sorry. You know how these things are.

[avram]

Not “different to”?

[calimac.livejournal.com]

equal is different than equivalent

Thank you. Thomas Jefferson is often, nowadays, mocked for having written "all men are created equal." But the mocking actually assumes that by "equal" he meant "equivalent."