The fact that people misuse the word "profession" is certainly not your fault, but you are perpetuating that misuse when you take a position like that.
The term "professional" can be used as an adjective in certain circumstances to distinguish someone who performs a task for money rather than for free, so "I'm a professional maid" is a valid use of the word.
However, if the maid said "I'm a cleaning professional," then we're talking about an improper use because professional is being used as a substantialized adjective (i.e., a noun).
It appears that I may have misused it in my argument, because what you're saying here is what I was trying to express. I capitalized "professional" in my argument, because I was trying to point out that calling oneself A professional was only accurate in certain instances. However, "professional maid" doesn't seem inaccurate for exactly the reason you give in your second line.
Profession/professional
- 28/01/2012 06:22:40 AM
710 Views
I'm not sure I agree with that.
- 28/01/2012 10:59:31 AM
362 Views
Your last paragraph is pretty much the difference between what does/doesn't bother me. *NM*
- 28/01/2012 11:33:48 AM
159 Views
You can disagree with the English language all you like.
- 28/01/2012 03:29:05 PM
493 Views
Well.
- 28/01/2012 06:11:26 PM
340 Views
I don't see much point in trying to preserve the archaic use of the word
- 28/01/2012 01:54:53 PM
411 Views
Ha! That's silly.
- 28/01/2012 03:32:01 PM
365 Views
No it is silly to think you can make a living language stagnant
- 28/01/2012 05:38:27 PM
358 Views
That's hyperbole if I ever heard it.
- 28/01/2012 08:29:20 PM
333 Views
If you were to ask 100 Americans what their profession was they would tell you what their job was
- 29/01/2012 02:52:22 AM
314 Views
Ask 100 Americans "When did you cease raping children?"
- 29/01/2012 03:05:57 AM
427 Views
speaking of hyperbole *NM*
- 29/01/2012 03:09:45 AM
154 Views
There was no hyperbole in my response. Seems like we found two words you can't define properly.
- 30/01/2012 02:11:43 PM
330 Views
how many people want to acknowledge they're not in a "professional job"?
- 30/01/2012 02:25:25 PM
415 Views
look I know those of you who have earned the narrow definition of the word want to preserve it
- 30/01/2012 03:19:30 PM
429 Views
No, most of us just want to preserve the plain English meanings of words.
- 30/01/2012 06:53:22 PM
316 Views
That penultimate use is the only acceptable one in a non-professional context
- 28/01/2012 07:18:06 PM
360 Views
You're absolutely correct. It's just society trying to make shit jobs sound better.
- 28/01/2012 03:25:48 PM
367 Views
Yeah, it's important to denote which occupations demand extraordinary, society-affecting judgement.
- 28/01/2012 05:19:30 PM
446 Views
at this point, though, I think teaching should be professionalized
- 28/01/2012 05:37:46 PM
416 Views
that will be hard for them to do
- 28/01/2012 05:44:53 PM
351 Views
That is a good point.
- 28/01/2012 08:16:38 PM
322 Views
Nurses have unions, and I would consider them professionals. *NM*
- 03/02/2012 08:52:41 PM
207 Views
You need a license, don't you? *NM*
- 28/01/2012 08:15:10 PM
156 Views
We have a certification process that any college grad with common sense could pass.
- 28/01/2012 10:36:29 PM
364 Views
in my mind teaching is indeed a profession. *NM*
- 28/01/2012 08:25:18 PM
225 Views
and there is the problem
- 29/01/2012 02:59:15 AM
424 Views
A teacher must have a collage degree and not only that but
- 29/01/2012 11:07:51 AM
338 Views
what in the world makes you think that professions have strict codes of conduct?
- 30/01/2012 02:26:55 PM
357 Views
Connotations change. Deal with it. *NM*
- 28/01/2012 10:29:20 PM
324 Views
I find it funny that some of our conservatives are pro-PC all of a sudden.
- 28/01/2012 11:14:06 PM
385 Views