Date:    Fri, 26 Jun 1998 11:37:18 -0500
<br>From:    Mark Mandel <Mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]DRAGONSYS.COM>
<br>Subject: "grow" and "incent"
<br>
<br>When we grow plants, we usually start them ab initio: from seed or seedling, the
<br> minimal possible (or at least practical)
<br>state of the object. If a child is given the care of a mature tomato plant, we
<br> can accept a proud "I grew these tomatoes!",
<br>because the tomatoes were nonexistent (or maybe just buds) when the child took
<br> over, but "I grew this plant" would be
<br>incorrect even if the plant gained inches of height and circumference under the
<br> child's attentions. In contrast, "growing
<br>the [e.g., American national] economy" means inducing growth, however defined,
<br> in an existing and (more-or-less)
<br>flourishing entity, and is therefore not a simple extension of the agricultural
<br> term.
<br>
<br>As for Bethany's question of how this growth is to be measured, that is an
<br> already (un)solved problem.
<br>We already have "the economy has grown" and "growth in/of the economy", whatever
<br> they may mean, and the new
<br>transitive verb "grow [the economy]" presumably uses the same yardstick as these
<br> other forms of the word. Maybe
<br>those who use the word have particular measures in mind, which you and I aren't
<br> familiar with. But even if they don't,
<br>this vagueness is not germane to the construction's derivation or
<br> grammaticality.
<br>
<br>-- Mark
<br>
<br>       Mark A. Mandel : Senior Linguist : mark[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]dragonsys.com
<br>    Dragon Systems, Inc. : speech recognition : +1 617 796-0267
<br> 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02160, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com/
<br>