Hopefully

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Hopefully (shortened version: hopely[1]) is an adverb which means "in a hopeful manner" or, when used as a disjunct, "it is hoped." Its use as a disjunct has prompted controversy among advocates of linguistic purism or linguistic prescription.[2]

Use as a disjunct

According to Merriam-Webster the disjunct sense of the word dates to the early 18th century and had been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s. Objection to this sense of the word, they state, only became widespread in the 1960s. The editors maintain that this usage is "entirely standard."[3] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language warns that "writers who use hopefully as a sentence adverb should be aware that the usage is unacceptable to many critics, include a large majority [73%] of its usage panel". This is up from 56% in 1969.[4] Before 2012, the AP Stylebook prohibited the use of "hopefully" as a disjunct.[5]

The controversy over its use is similar to those surrounding words or phrases such as "begging the question," "bemused," "nauseous," "who" vs. "whom" and the loss of the distinction between "disinterested" and "uninterested."[5] The use of "hopefully" as a disjunct is reminiscent of the usage of the German word hoffentlich ("it is to be hoped that").

References

  1. ↑ http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hopely
  2. ↑ Kahn, John Ellison and Robert Ilson, Eds. The Right Word at the Right Time: A Guide to the English Language and How to Use It, pp. 27–29. London: The Reader's Digest Association Limited, 1985. ISBN 0276384393.
  3. ↑ "Hopefully". Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 20 April 2012. 
  4. ↑ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2007. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Are language cops losing war against 'wrongly' used words?". BBC News. 19 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012. 


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