It’s amazing how much a simple voice inflection can change the meaning of a sentence. For instance, the question “why are you doing that?” is different from “why are you doing that?” The first question inquires about why something is being done. It implies that something wrong is taking place, or Who should question the subject’s actions.
The second inquiry questions why the subject of the question is doing something. It implies that the thing being done is alright, but the individual is either underqualified or incompetent. It can be not easy to relay spoken words in the form of writing because some people will naturally confuse the first question for the second.
Some people also speak and write in broken English, or they may speak in an urban or southern dialogue. When writing these words verbatim, the writer may be uneducated. Fortunately, there’s something called Sic that allows people to write exactly what was said or written without seeming unintelligent.
What Does Sic Mean
Sic is a Latin adverb that means thus it was written. It’s typically written in parenthesis at the end of a direct quote. The term typically implies that the writer is aware that the text is incorrect somehow.
See alos:
It can also mean the writer disagrees with what was written, or they see fault in the reasoning. Since Sic is a foreign word, it can be written in italics. Sic is in and of itself an independent word, but many people think it’s an abbreviation for something else. However, this is incorrect as all acronyms for the word are backronyms.
What does Sic Stand For? Nothing
Some people think that Sic is an acronym for “spelled in context,” “spelled incorrectly”, or “said in copy.” However, all of these terms are English, and the word sic predates them and the entire language. It’s similar to people who tell you the term bible is an acronym for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” even though the Holy bible predates English. Sic is its word, derived from the term sic erat scriptum.
No acronym or abbreviation’s correct, but attaching a bacronym makes it easier to remember. Sic is commonly used by court stenographers required by law to keep each person’s testimony as close to verbatim as possible. Many times, testimony will be reread in court by the stenographer, so it’s necessary to keep accurate records.
This is especially true in criminal cases where a person may incriminate him or herself, and the prosecutor needs the information to remind the jury of the incriminating words. Likewise, the defence may ask to have the words of a witness read again to show inconsistencies in their testimony.
Sic may also be used in civil cases because both the plaintiff and the defendant will typically testify. The judge has to make a decision and make a judgment based upon what was said. Therefore, they may ask the stenographer to read back certain testimony to understand better who is and isn’t telling the truth.
Further Explaining the Sic Definition
Using Sic lets the writer inform future readers that the words written in the text are the exact words written or spoken. However, the use of the word has become controversial as some of the most influential people in the literary field begin to criticize its use.
One such person was Leon Edel. The Pulitzer prize award-winning critic isn’t alone in his criticism of the word Sic because many people feel as though it’s completely unnecessary. However, there are instances when using the sic helps the reader understand the passage better.
One of the most famous uses of a sic is when people quote the Constitution of the United States. A misspelling says, “The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker” Anyone writing the passage would either have to change the spelling of chuse completely or use a sic after the word.
Its traditional to place the word within square brackets, so the reader understands that it isn’t an actual part of the passage. It would read like “Shall chose [sic] their …” to inform the reader of the misspelling in the original text.
What Does Sic Mean Today
In modern times the word is used as a verb and a modifier. The verb form of the word is the source of most of the controversy because it takes the word out of context. The verb means to add a sic to a particular piece of literature.
This is a term usually reserved for use by those in the US, but there are writers in Canada and the UK who use it. Even some less educated people would go as far as to use the term “sicced”. While there is no such word, it would be the past tense form of sic if it was indeed a verb. It’s tough to define sic, but it should certainly not be used as a verb.
For example, saying, “I had to sic a certain passage.” Should be expressed as “I applied a sic to a certain passage.” Using sic is already controversial enough without adding fuel to the fire.
The use of sic should be reserved for instances where it’s imperative to get the spelling and dialects right. In every other instance, the writer should make the necessary corrections to the paper to make it read better. In some ways, using a sic implies an air of superiority, which has added to the controversy.
For example, there have been several instances where writers used a sic when a paper was written by someone who spoke English as a second language. It would have been far more appropriate to make the obvious adjustments which would have made the entire paper read better.
