| 词组 | ilk |
| 释义 | ilk The story of ilk is a familiar one to readers of usage books. The word in Old English was a pronoun synonymous with same. It persisted in that sense only among the Scots, who used it in the phrase of that ilk, meaning, as the OED explains, "of the same place, territorial designation, or name: chiefly in names of landed families, as Guthrie of that Ilk, Wemyss of that ilk = Guthrie of Guthrie, Wemyss of Wemyss." It was apparently a misunderstanding of the Scottish use that gave rise to the "kind or sort" sense of ilk which became established in the 19th century and which is the only sense of the word now used outside of Scotland. The extended meaning of ilk has been censured by usage commentators for more than a hundred years: • Ilk is a much abused word, being constantly substituted for stamp, class, or society. "Men of that ilk are seldom good for anything." "We want to have nothing to do with Governor Swann, and men of that ilk." (Washington Chronicle, January 27, 1869.) — Scheie de Vere 1872 The long list of 20th-century commentators who have repeated such criticism includes such prominent names as Fowler 1926, Partridge 1942, and Bernstein 1965. But recent decades have seen increasing recognition that the "kind or sort" sense of ilk is now standard English. Evans 1957 calls it standard, and Copperud 1970, 1980 agrees, noting the acceptance of this sense by current dictionaries. Simon 1980, having been criticized by a correspondent for using the sense himself, finds that this is one extension of meaning he is inclined to accept. Our evidence shows clearly that, whatever its origins, the "kind or sort" sense of ilk has long since made a place for itself in the vocabulary of standard English. Probably its most distinctive characteristic is its suggestion of contempt, which is apparent in the two sentences cited by Scheie de Vere in 1872, and which is still apparent in much current use: • The titillating mush of Cartland and her ilk —Germaine Greer, The Female Eunuch, 1970 • ... pilgrims of that Beautiful People ilk park their limos on West 10th Street —Gael Greene, New York, 3 Mar. 1975 But ilk is also commonly used with no disparaging connotations: • ... Twain, Conrad and others of the lofty ilk — Leonard Michaels, N.Y. Times Book Rev., 16 May 1976 • ... others of their compact but luxurious ilk —Consumer Reports, February 1980 • ... the success of Michael Arien, P. G. Wodehouse and their ilk —Margaret Crosland, British Book News, May 1982 Such usage certainly still has its enemies, but their spirited defense of the old and little-used Scottish sense of ilk is far more passionate than reasonable. The facts are these: ilk once meant "same"; it now means "sort." Such is the way of language. |
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