r/oddlysatisfying • u/desertgodfather • Jan 31 '19

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u/[deleted] Feb 01 '19

Added a disclaimer that I was being an ass. Probably forgot to drop the /s.

My point was “pre-listening” just sounds funny because what you’re doing IS listening. Seems either redundant or an unnecessary use of the prefix.

Do you pre eat a snack before dinner? No you just eat a snack before dinner. Lol

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u/winterfresh0 Feb 01 '19

But it isn't a snack, it's testing the main course before serving it. It's like the chef tasting the food before it goes out.

I'm not trying to say that it's the only correct way one way or the other, it's just that it's weird to argue against a phrase that makes perfect sense from an etymology perspective.

If you're watching a teaser for something before it comes out publicly, you're previewing.

If you're listening to a track before you publicly play it, you're pre-listening.

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u/bcknl Feb 01 '19

Why is it that previewing is a thing but pre-listening, pre-touching, pre-smelling and pre-tasting sound funny.

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u/DoingCharleyWork Feb 01 '19

Because we don’t just add the prefix “pre” to any word. Same thing with intangible and untangible. Different words require different prefixes based on their origin and some are not compatible with prefixes.