Members of the Pennsylvania Bar are indebted to Gertrude Block, of the University of Florida, who writes a monthly column on grammar in our monthly magazine; two topics she recently commented on follow.
The first topic concerns money, and its plural. Is moneys (or monies) a correct plural of the word, or is money one of those words that has both a singular and plural meaning?
It is unlikely that upon hearing the price of a bauble at a Tiffany counter, you would respond, “I do not have enough moneys in my wallet to cover the cost” (at Tiffany’s, who does?); yet, in larger transactions you will frequently hear parties speak of the amount of moneys needed to complete the transaction.
Is either form of the word improper for plural purposes, and, if not, is one form preferable to the other? The answer seems to be that money works perfectly well as a collective (plural) noun in smaller transactions (what’s in your wallet?), but moneys, if used at all, will occur in larger transactions.
Conclusion: the options are all yours. Both money and moneys are proper; use the one with which you are comfortable. And, no one should chastise you for spelling it monies if you choose.
The second topic involves the precise meaning of the phrase begging the question, which seems almost universally now to be synonymous with “raising the question”; however, this was not its original meaning which had a certain elegance which may be lost.
Originally, in an argument where one of the debaters was employing circular logic by inserting a presumed “fact” in a question where the answer would force an unwarranted admission, to say “You are begging the question” was a proper response. In a domestic dispute, on cross-examination an attorney asks the husband “When did you stop beating your wife?” If the respondent answers directly by giving a date, the fact that he is beating his wife is admitted. A proper response to avoid the trap is “you are begging the question.” (Followed by touche ?)
While use of the phrase may still be valid in that sense, its meaning has devolved to something more simplistic; as now used to “beg the question” is to raise the question or illustrate the problem. An example: During a drought, a legislator might say, “It begs the question, whether we should ration water until the crisis passes.”
This is not to say that to use the phrase as it was originally intended is in error. In fact, to do so may gain you additional respect of your co-debater.
– BBC&B