Allege and purport

Question

The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is "You may receive e-mails which allege to be from this bank."Please reassure me that "purport" is what these idiots should have used.Matti

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[nq:1]The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is "You may receive e-mails which allege to be from this bank." Please reassure me that "purport" is what these idiots should have used. Matti[/nq]
'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is right either - it's a neutral term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?

John Dean
Oxford

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[nq:2]The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is ... that "purport" is what these idiots should have used. Matti[/nq]
[nq:1]'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is right either - it's a neutral term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?[/nq]
Why not just "claim?"

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[nq:2]The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is ... that "purport" is what these idiots should have used. Matti[/nq]
[nq:1]'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is right either - it's a neutral term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?[/nq]
But where would that leave professed adherents of a faith or other set of views? I think the problem is a sort of lexical mission-creep: these words all seem to creep towards the negative end of their spectra. Look at "pretend", which has all but lost its positive end.

The same can almost be said of "claim".
Interestingly, and to me unexpectedly, my Collins 21st Century says "esp. falsely" after its principal definition of "purport".

It's all most unfortunate: life is so difficult these days.

Mike.

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[nq:2]The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is ... that "purport" is what these idiots should have used. Matti[/nq]
[nq:1]'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is right either - it's a neutral term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?[/nq]
Had I not consulted a dictionary, I would have agreed about the wrongness of "allege". But in the RHUD the first definition is "to assert without proof," which seems to be what the e-mails are doing.

"Purport" doesn't sound very neutral to me; it has definite negative connotations. I like Mr. Gargis's suggestion of "claim", though the bank would likely view its monosyllabicity as a drawback.

Ray Heindl
(remove the Xs to reply to: (Email Removed))

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Matti Lamprhey:
[nq:1]The usage which I'm seeing through increasingly red eyes is "You may receive e-mails which allege to be from this bank." Please reassure me that "purport" is what these idiots should have used.[/nq]
I agree with Matti.

Mark Brader, Toronto > "He is even more important than my cat, (Email Removed) > which is saying something." Flash Wilson

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[nq:2]'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is ... term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?[/nq]
[nq:1]But where would that leave professed adherents of a faith or other set of views? I think the problem is ... to creep towards the negative end of their spectra. Look at "pretend", which has all but lost its positive end..[/nq]
If, my lord, you pretend that the usage of that esteemed and popular author Paarfi of Roundwood, of the House of the Hawk, is so little worthy of notice as to be adequately subsumed in "all but lost", then, well, I do myself the honor of disagreeing with you.

Jerry Friedman

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[nq:2]'allege' is obviously wrong. But I don't think 'purport' is ... term which doesn't convey judgement as to validity. Maybe 'profess'?[/nq]
[nq:1]Had I not consulted a dictionary, I would have agreed about the wrongness of "allege". But in the RHUD the first definition is "to assert without proof," which seems to be what the e-mails are doing.[/nq]
The dictionary is right, but the application is wrong. You can't "allege to", but you can "allege that". And a document can't allege, only a person can.
[nq:1]"Purport" doesn't sound very neutral to me; it has definite negative connotations. I like Mr. Gargis's suggestion of "claim", though the bank would likely view its monosyllabicity as a drawback.[/nq]
Banks often seem to get English words wropng.
I used to get banks tatements every month that said "If you wish to avail of this facility" Eventually I could stand it no longer, and to my surprise they changed it.
But there they were actually shortening it, perhaps by analogy with dropping the "oneself to" after "address", which seems so comn nowadays, and fropping "is concerned" after "As far as".

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

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[nq:1]Banks often seem to get English words wropng.[/nq]
For instance, some years ago on one of the occasions when my branch of the Royal Bank of Canada reduced the hours that it was open, they announced it on a sign beginning with the words "FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE".

Of course, only one letter was wrong...

Mark Brader > "...most people who borrow over $1,000,000 from a bank Toronto > would at least remember the name of the bank." (Email Removed) > Judge Donald Bowman, Tax Court of Canada

Allege and purport

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