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What I mean by "metaphrase" & "paraphrase" is that many people, when writing or speaking, don't distinguish between a statement & a restatement in different words. "Metaphrase" can have negative connotations, "paraphrase" positive. But I don't understand the connotations as essential. Why do what seem to academics like mistakes occur? In some cases, people simply don't know what a quotation is. In other cases, the context is such that accuracy isn't to be expected. I'm reminded of Moliere's bourgeois gentleman who was surprised & delighted to learn that he had been speaking prose all his life. In some contexts, the writer or speaker might well be surprised by accuracy. I realize some subscribers have academic interests in false quotations. I myself try to quote accurately based on current standards (though I'm certain I failed at least a few times in the past), work with my students on accurate quotation, & take quotations (as well as all language) with a grain of salt in certain contexts. John Saillant Western Michigan University --
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