海角大神

It鈥檚 only 16 months away now, so of course the 2016 presidential race is filling the airwaves and news columns; never mind that in some countries, the government itself doesn鈥檛 last that long.

The other day, a Washington Post headline caught my eye: 鈥淗illary Clinton is owning the joke about her fashion choices 鈥� and it鈥檚 working.鈥澛�

鈥淐linton has gone on the offensive by finding humor in her fashion foibles and beauty regimen.... She long ago found a timeless aesthetic that works for her: pantsuit (preferably with matching blouse), blond bob, statement necklace...,鈥� Robin Givhan wrote. 鈥淣ow she has taken full ownership of it.鈥�

I was struck by two aspects of one idea here: 鈥渙wnership,鈥� in the sense that Ms. Givhan uses it, and 鈥渋s owning,鈥� as it appears in the headline (which she may or may not have had a hand in writing).

A glance around Google News shows the traditional meaning of ownership is alive and well, in contexts of real estate, securities, sports franchises, and even racehorses. (鈥淨ueen Elizabeth II reveals ownership 鈥榯hrill.鈥� 鈥�)聽

But off in the realm of education, personal development, and business management, take ownership means to 鈥渢ake responsibility鈥� for some challenge or problem 鈥� sometimes one that is not necessarily one鈥檚 own in the first place.

An online business journal article titled 鈥淗elping Others Take Ownership鈥� poses the question 鈥淗ow do I get other people to ... take ownership of the project, process or task I鈥檝e given them?鈥� An educational website offers 鈥�7 Activities to Encourage Students to Take Ownership of Their Learning.鈥� A personal development consultant urges, 鈥淭ake Ownership of Your Life.鈥澛�

Such usages go back to the original meaning of the verb from which ownership derives: ouen (ca. 1200), meaning 鈥渢o possess, have; rule, be in command of, have authority over.鈥澛�

Givhan is going a little further in her use of 鈥渢aking ownership.鈥� She鈥檚 suggesting that Clinton is turning an issue that鈥檚 been used against her and going on the offensive with it.

Which brings me to my second point: the use of what we grammar nerds call the 鈥減resent progressive鈥� tense in Givhan鈥檚 headline 鈥� 鈥渋s owning.鈥�

Verbs like own are 鈥渟tative.鈥� They express perception (鈥淚 see him now, coming over the bridge鈥�), cognition (鈥淚 know you鈥檝e worked here a long time鈥�), or relation (鈥淚 own this house鈥�). Stative verbs contrast with dynamic, or action, verbs.聽

Ownership may not involve any 鈥渁ction鈥� other than waiting to hear from the bank that the rent payment has been made. Accordingly, stative verbs normally are not used with the progressive tense. But Givhan uses 鈥渙wning鈥� as a dynamic verb, referring to actions some actor takes 鈥� making jokes, as Clinton has been doing, or acknowledging that she colors her hair. Was it like this when previous secretaries of State ran for president? Did Thomas Jefferson or John Quincy Adams ever have bad hair days?聽