LETTERS: An accurate quotation of words

To the Editor: I admit it. I am the fouled-mouthed friend who uttered the word in Giulian's company. And I think she and the DP had the right to quote me directly, and not warp my words as Penn suggested. He is correct in saying "language that would raise a commotion in earlier generations is so commonplace today that it is hardly noticed." Language changes over time; as people use words differently, the language changes over time; as people use words differently, the generally accepted meanings for those words change. Words that were once considered vulgar are coming to be used largely for emphasis; in this case, I used it to hint at the strength of my feeling that learning doesn't seem to be a big priority for many Penn students. I hope that Elan wasn't too distracted by my word choice to extract my meaning, and the meaning of the rest of the column. Libby Bachhuber College '97