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Subject:The Great Unwashed ( was Re: Data are vs Data is) From:JIMCHEVAL <JIMCHEVAL -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 11 Jan 1998 23:58:13 EST
In a message dated 98-01-11 22:17:21 EST, j -dot- a -dot- mckay -at- worldnet -dot- att -dot- net writes:
<< I am reluctant to permit the general public to set grammatical standards.
>>
Ah yes, the common folk (whom God must have loved, having made so many of).
Well, now, who do you think CREATED grammatical standards in the first place?
Grammar is a snapshot, and its subject - general usage - doesn't sit still for
long. Yes, the photo gets retouched a bit, the inherent messiness of human
expression being harnessed in some thin strands of logic. But basically what
we now know as grammar has its roots in observation, not construction.
(I have a terrible feeling we've been down this road before...)
Jim Chevallier
Los Angeles
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Visit Chez Jim: Jim Chevallier's Home Page - http://www.gis.net/~jimcheval
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