Grammar for Smarties("Why Oh Why" books' success prove we’re serious about the care of our language)

The American Prowler ^ | 1/11/2005 | Christopher Orlet

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Captainpaintball]

F'n Noam Chomsky is a linguist. That's all I need to know about their kind. And if I hear one more stupid kollege white boy 'axe' "Where you at?" one more time...

[durasell]

Language will do what it's always done -- change and serve to differentiate the classes.

[nopardons]

Except that now,some in the higher classes emulate the speech patterns of the lowest class.

And if I see "anyways" (a nonexistent word!) posted to FR,one more time,I shall not be accountable for my reply. ;^)

[durasell]

They do it for shock value and under the illusion that it is somehow "keeping it real." Fear not, we are not turning into a nation of Eliza Doolittles...though, wouldn't it be love-er-ly?

[Petronski]

Languages change. Get over it.

What an ass. Everything changes. The question is, does the language become richer (good)? Or does it become poorer (bad and happening now)?

How many kids now know the difference between "bring" and "take" as one small example?

[Graybeard58]

And if I see "anyways" (a nonexistent word!) posted to FR,one more time,I shall not be accountable for my reply. ;^)

You will see it - "irregardess"

"hopefully" not often.

[Graybeard58]

Here is the problem:

-particularly when it comes about out of laziness and the dumbing-down of grammar rules.

[Defend the Second]

Knowledge and understanding of beauty in the English language is so rare that I have given up trying to enlighten friends. Example: To read to them some of the best of Churchill (a master), and be greeted by a blank stare. They "axe" me what I mean, then tell me they "could care less" and I want to cry, or better, raise a glass of port to Winston.

One other example: I have in my briefcase an application letter for a Siebel developer position. The last sentence of the letter reads: "Please contact me when u r ready."

[nopardons]

Copying Eliza Dolittle's Cockney would be an up tic,from in the ghetto gutter.

Unfortunately, a large segment of Americans use far less of the available words on English,because they don't know them. English is a wonderful language,most of which has gone into decline from disuse.It did NOT used to be this way...even poor people knew more English than most in the middle class know today.*sigh*

[Petronski]

Too true. Whatever happened to grammar-nuns? Or Strunk and White?

[durasell]

Language reflects a culture. So asking if language is becoming richer is a trick question. Is our culture becoming richer? Yeah, probably.

[nopardons]

How many believe that "anyways" is actually a real word? :-(

[Petronski]

LOL Too many. How about 'irregardless?"

[nopardons]

Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh! Not "irregardless" and the misused "hopefully" as well;please! My eyes,my eyes!

[Petronski]

Is our culture becoming richer?

Our society is becoming economically/financially richer. We are not becoming culturally richer. Shall I compare Shakespeare to "Who's your Daddy?" Shall I compare Beethoven to Spice Girls?

[Defend the Second]

Does anyone remember the PBS special "The Civil War"? In that special they read the letters of dozens of soldiers, North and South. Those "ignorant farm boys" wrote beautifully. Very few of us could match them.

[nopardons]

Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg...already brought up and answered that! :-(

And then,there is the prevalence of misusing "I" and "me"...when it's so simply to know when to use either.

I may just weep. *sigh*

[durasell]

It only seemed as if the middle class had a stronger vocabulary. They really didn't. In any event, a strong vocabulary no longer holds an appear for a middle class whose culture is now popular and largely visual.