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From: koch@liszt.DEC (Kevin Koch LTN1-2/B17 DTN229-6274)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: e
Message-ID: <2874@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Jun-85 08:58:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.2874
Posted: Tue Jun 25 08:58:42 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 06:27:04 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
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>> The idea that dictionaries just record what people use and not what is
>> "correct" is an amusing one.  Who should the dictionary makers consult
>> for the "correct" usage?  A dictionary?  Your 9th grade English
>> teacher? William Safire?   Language is used by people to communicate
>> with other people.  It is the people who use it who give a language
>> its life and they are the final arbitrators of what it is. 
>
> Standards must be kept up, or the language will be corrupted a million
> different ways.  We need to keep words with distinct meaning distinct.
>
> ... I just think that the language should be kept "clean".  Even if
> it means using non-standard usage.  

     *Everyone* speaks correctly, according to the rules as they 
understand them.  [Another vote for 'they' as a singular pronoun!]

     Noone can control what happens to a language.  Ask the Academie
Francais how well they've done at keeping French 'clean.'  They won't 
want to admit that the Quebecois have had a more static language.