Linguistic disputes often affect seemingly well-established and familiar words. Increasingly, people pay attention to literacy, work on themselves, and this cannot but rejoice. “Eat” or “eat” - how to say it correctly, in what situations is it appropriate to use it and is it worth correcting others if they use the wrong version of the word, in your opinion? Philologists have already given explanations, but people continue to argue out of inertia, or by defending their personal views.
You can eat or you can eat
Is there any fundamental difference between these words? By and large, this is “eating”, “eating”. In the semantic meaning, these are absolutely equal words, why are some people so indignant when they hear an option that, in their opinion, is not suitable? So eat or eat, how to speak correctly so as not to annoy anyoneand not look funny?
Perhaps the secret lies in the scope of each individual word. If we eat, this is an everyday and even routine process, which is nothing extraordinary. But when children are called to the table, they usually use “eat”. It can be assumed that we are talking about a kind of diminutive and affectionate version of the more mundane "is."
Stylistic synonyms
These words are stylistic synonyms and are not fully interchangeable. Despite the absolutely identical semantic content, it is worth figuring out - is it all the same to eat or eat? How to speak correctly and in what situations?
The peculiarity of stylistic synonyms is that they are used for the emotional coloring of the expression in different cases. For example, the well-known expression “The meal is served” may sound too solemn or even pretentious, but this is the appropriate case for using this word. If two businessmen, going to lunch, say "Let's go, eat," it sounds strange and cuts the ear. But the same phrase, addressed to a small child, fits the situation most organically.
Is it correct to say "eat"
"Beauty butterfly, eat jam." A quote from Chukovsky's "Fly-Tsokotukha" is the best illustration of a situation in which the word is used absolutely correctly. Eat or eat, how to say? When it comes to inviting guests to the table, thenit would be appropriate to suggest eating, not eating, and certainly not eating.
Traditionally, a circle of persons is outlined in relation to whom it is not forbidden to use this word. Guests can eat, including restaurant guests, children and women. Men cannot eat, and this may even seem like discrimination. But only small children or people who want to emphasize their weakness, infantilism and trembling can say about themselves “I eat”
Which is more correct to say, "Let's go eat" or "Let's go eat"? If you are talking to a small child, then you can use the first option, but if the conversation is with an adult, then the second. If you have patronizing and even paternal (or maternal) feelings for the interlocutor, then using the phrase “let's go eat” is stylistically and emotionally justified, but be prepared for the fact that this can jar your counterpart.
Eat - rough or natural?
Objections commonly heard from aficionados of the word "eat" are usually about the perceived rudeness and earthiness of the word "eat". Does it really sound that rude?
The process of eating has many names of varying degrees of expressiveness, among them there are both rude and frankly slang expressions. What is the right way to eat or eat? But you can still eat, chop, grunt, chew, trample, eat, slurp, swallow, eat. And all these synonyms differ only in the degree of expression and stylistic relevance. So "there is" -this is the most neutral of the options.
Food and meals
Perhaps the crux of the matter lies not in the eaters themselves, but in what lies on the plate? In fact, what is the difference between food and meals? Both are food. However, a plate of buckwheat with a cutlet is more like food, but a delicacy served on a special occasion to dear guests is more like a dish. Of course, this division is somewhat outdated, now the borrowed foreign word “delicacy” is used, it has firmly taken the place of “food” on festive tables covered with a snow-white starched tablecloth.
Even at the beginning of the last century, some hundred years ago, it was dishes that were served on the tables, and this included not only dishes, but also drinks. It is unlikely that then someone thought about how to eat or eat. However, after the revolution in October 1917, war was declared on everything noble and petty-bourgeois. So under the Bolsheviks people stopped eating and began to eat more prosaically.
Sip some tea
Now it's pretty funny to hear that someone was offered tea, coffee, and even vodka. “I ate a glass of vodka” - this is how they said that with visible pleasure and even, perhaps, with relish, they drank intoxicating drinks. It can be assumed that the stylistically close word is "feast on", eat or drink with pleasure.
When talking about how to say “eat” or “eat” correctly, one can easily forget that many words in our vocabulary have retained a certain imprint of time. For example, the recently sensational newsthat coffee can now be considered a neuter noun has sparked heated linguistic battles.
Emotional coloring of speech
The main complaint about the word "eat" is that it often colors the context into obsequious and some kind of servile notes. In most cases, this is inappropriate, but there are options when, for the sake of an emotional accent, you can make less sacrifices. In disputes about how to say “eat” or “eat” correctly, an important nuance is completely missed. With the help of a lexicon, a person unconsciously draws his psychological portrait, signals to others how he should be perceived.
Men, in order to emphasize their masculinity, try to exclude all diminutives from their vocabulary, this is “lisping”, unworthy of a real warrior. And then how will the stern Viking, the hunter and the patriarch in general eat? Only children and light airy ladies eat, whose diet consists only of candied petals and honeydew. It is easy to understand that women, who consider the word “eat” too rude and somehow physiological, seek to construct with the help of a lexicon a certain mental image of an ideal representative of the beautiful half of humanity, namely a beautiful butterfly, which can be eaten with a thin silver spoon of jam.
However, back in the last century, the phrase "I eat" from the lips of an adult was considered ridiculous and inappropriate. Since this word testifies to the guests aboutrespect, it turns out that the speaker expresses respect for his own address.
However, if in verbal speech emotional coloring can only be given by intonation and facial expressions, without resorting to stylistic synonyms, then written speech is deprived of such an opportunity.
Text intonation and literary devices
In fiction, style requires close attention, especially if you need to emphasize the features of the character. When figuring out how to speak correctly, “eat” or “eat”, many people forget that there are other ways of transmitting information besides verbal speech. Even in a letter, wanting to convey a caring intonation, it would be appropriate to ask not how the addressee eats, but whether he eats well. Of course, you should not ask such a question to superiors or a business partner, but it is quite possible for a friend, even if she is a harsh and emancipated woman.
On the pages of a work of art, using the word "eat" you can form an intonation that will sound in the reader's head. This helps to show the character more vividly. If the hero offers to devour, then it is unlikely that at the same time he will be perceived as an amiable, courteous and helpful person.
"Eat" or "eat", how to speak, write correctly - depends on your goals and the stylistic coloring of the information message transmitted in writing or verbally. This is the key to understanding the appropriateness of the choice of synonyms.
