Love Letters Sent From The Heart

Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:05:56 +0000 (GMT)
From: OED research materials <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: OED research materials <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: R. M. Hare on "phrastic", "neustic", "tropic", and "clistic"
To: [log in to unmask]
Content-MD5: jD/MzoqS6w5SjdrWGkJEbA==

Dear Mr Speranza,

Thank you for your e-mail.

As you say, the term 'boulomaic' has not yet been included in the 'OED',
and it is not yet under consideration. At present, we have not collected
enough evidence to enable us to begin the research necessary for the
addition of an entry. However I have copied your information to our
research files, and
hope to find enough further evidence to proceed.

The information about the words PHRASTIC, NEUSTIC, TROPIC, and CLISTIC
could prove very useful. At the moment, we have no collection of evidence
for these terms, but it is clear they are important in the field. I note
that there is an article in the journal _Mind_ of April 1954, reviewing
Hare's book, which refers to some of these terms, and to DICTOR which you
also mention. There is no one editor who will be assigned to
work on any of the entries for any of these words that may be drafted;
comments such as yours are sent to a research file to be available when an
editor is assigned to investigate a word. Initial etymological work will be
done by this editor, and it will then be checked and finalized by a
specialist etymologist. If you would like to send any comments you have on
the etymology of any of these words, this information would
be filed along with your initial submission, and would be much appreciated
by our editors.

We are most grateful to you for bringing all these words to our attention.

Yours sincerely,

(Senior Assistant Editor, Oxford English Dictionary)

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