Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

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Jan 16th, '12, 15:00
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Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by fire_snake » Jan 16th, '12, 15:00

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

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Jan 16th, '12, 22:40
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Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by entropyembrace » Jan 16th, '12, 22:40

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.

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Jan 17th, '12, 10:53
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Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by fire_snake » Jan 17th, '12, 10:53

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

Cheers,

Christian

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Jan 17th, '12, 13:47
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Re: Does "brief mention" sound redundant?

by rdl » Jan 17th, '12, 13:47

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.

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