Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

[fire_snake]

Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by fire_snake » Jan 16th, '12, 16:00

I've seen this phrase used in scholarly circles, and a Google search shows it's widely used, but I'm a bit uncomfortable with it. It sounds redundant.

Doesn't "mention" already imply an allusion to something, or a brief account?

Thanks,

Christian

[entropyembrace]

Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by entropyembrace » Jan 16th, '12, 23:40

Yes, most dictionary entries for mention include the word brief. Just because academics use a phrase frequently doesn´t mean it´s any good...most academics don´t take that many english classes in University unless it´s their focus.

[fire_snake]

Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by fire_snake » Jan 17th, '12, 11:53

Thanks, entropy, I appreciate your input. Suspicions confirmed. I'll avoid using it.

Cheers,

Christian

[rdl]

Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by rdl » Jan 17th, '12, 14:47

often we use in english an anglo-saxon word followed by a french word in a redundant way, i.e., "will and testament", but in this case both are latin based words. however think of it this way. if someone makes mention of your name, that is a compliment. if they make brief mention of your name, well, not so much. so it does seem mention, brief as it may imply, can still be modified.
more grammatically:
Verb:
Refer to something briefly and without going into detail.
Noun:
A reference to someone or something.