Triad of Sulkiness

May 21, 2008 10:58

Are bitching, whining, and complaining essentially different words for the same thing, or are there actually minute differences between the three?

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zeft May 22 2008, 03:22:20 UTC
As a linguist I say it's very hard to find absolute synonyms so yes, there is a difference.

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Yeah, There Are ... gadd_sex May 31 2008, 04:00:15 UTC
Stumbled on your journal during a (not quite) random search, as I've started a secondary (read: private, intimacy (I love euphemisms) oriented) journal.

Thought answering your question would be a good alternative to flashing yu a slack-jawed grin.

Yes, the three words are quite different.
  • "Bitching" is acting out in an angry way; usually, the spark has nothing to do with the real issue, but the bitcher (is that a word?) either doesn't recognize or refuses to admit to, the root cause of the complaint;
  • "whining" is similar, but is born of weakness, of an inability to deal with the root cause of the complaint. A whiner hates where they are, but is afraid of what they might lose if they actually show some spine (yes, I know "they" is not "technically correct in this usage, but English doesn't have an equivalent of the Academie Francaise, thank you very much); and
  • "complaining" is the action of an equal who is unhappy with a situation and wants to correct it by respectfully pointing out the nature of his or vexation.
And that's my ( ... )

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