Killing and murdering in the UK WW

[tigerpatronus]

No: HPFGUIDX 129848

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "deborahhbbrd" <hubbada at u...> 
wrote:
<snip> But, on the subject of why LV is said to have 'murdered' rather 
than
> 'killed' the senior Potters, I would say as a speaker of British
> English that you murder people in cold blood, in accordance with a
> plan. It is your specific intention to murder them and only them. If
> you kill, it might be accidental or random, or it might be in 
battle -
> Sirius was veiled in a fair fight, and the right word there would be
> 'kill', regardless of the personal issues that were also involved.
><snip> 
> Deborah, in her language-sorting hat

I've been thinking about it, and I think that, on the western side of 
the Pond, we generally don't use "murder" as a verb. We generally 
say, "He committed a murder," or else we use it in the passive 
voice, "THree people were murdered," but even then we tend to 
use "kill." It may be due to our ongoing problem with victimization 
and lack of adament responsibility for heinous acts. This may be due 
to a very litigious society and the unwillingness to libel or slander 
and thus open ourselves up to lawsuits. 

JM$.02. 

TK -- TigerPatronus