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I'm a relatively new listener, so this may have been covered on a previous show or discussion. What is the history of the use of apparent prepositional phrase "of late" as a synonym for the adverb "lately"? It seems to be used a lot in sports coverage (e.g., "Jones has been in a hitting slump of late.") and weather reports (e.g., "It has been unseasonably cold of late."). Of course, I've heard it in a variety of contexts. It strikes me as an unnecessary use of two words when one would do. Granted, there are the same number of letters in the two, but if you count the space, then "of late" is longer!
Medicineman10, if length was our only criterion for deciding which words were best to use, we'd have an impoverished language.
“Of late†and “of recent†(yes, that's used, too, though less frequently) are idiomatic uses that, while they may be roughly synonymous with “lately†and “recently,†have the added value of being markers of a specific kind of quasi-formal language, which may make them the better choices on some occasions. Note where you see “of late†and I'll think you find that it rarely appears in informal language except in ironic or self-conscious uses.
Grant, I definitely agree that length shouldn't be our only criterion in the choice of words. I had just never found a satisfactory etymoligical explanation for the use of "of late" as a substitute for the adverbs you mentioned. I'm a pharmacist by profession, but have always been fascinated by language. I've studied Spanish and German and on a whim even earned a PhD in Hebrew (from an accredited institution too!). I once had a colleague tell me I had a "perverted fascination with words!" I'm delighted that when I moved to central Virginia last year, I discovered your show. Thanks for helping me keep my mind sharp.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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