gnvqsos Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Some people put in hyphenation-when-it's-not-required. Thanks for that and I take it you are an expert.I consulted the lexicon and drew a blank. ---------- Post added 22-02-2013 at 08:14 ---------- But it was required, where gnvqsos put it. Let's celebrate the fact that at least one person on this forum knows how to use a dash effectively as a punctuation mark! I have ploughed my way through this thread from the start to here, resisting the strong compulsion to bang my head against a wall. On the one hand, we have the Insect in Amber school of language study, which holds that Standard English is a perfect thing and should be preserved unchanged forever (despite the irony that some of the scholars of this school are unable to use it themselves). On the other hand, we have the 'anything goes' brigade - textspeak is fine, English needs updating, etc. Surely the truth is that language (both written and spoken) is organic and changes (semantically and grammatically) with time and as society changes. Everyone here will use vocabulary which didn't exist in their parents' childhood, and most people would accept that some relaxation of formal Standard English spelling, punctuation and grammar is acceptable on a semi-formal chat forum such as this, although it wouldn't be in a job application, for example. If you are leaving a note for a family member, you can use whatever shorthand you want as long as they will understand it. If you are chatting to your mates, you can use whatever language, dialect, US or other non-standard English you want - assuming they understand you. If however you are in a more formal situation, then formal standard English may be more appropriate. Context is all! Language control freaks can throw themselves about as much as they like about the 'decline' or the 'corruption' of the English language, but they have simply missed the point. English is alive and kicking - and all the more fascinating for the many influences which shape its use. Deal with it! What's concerning is the unimaginative response of some users of language to its possibilities... Thanks AliceBB-I get cheesed off with marking this defective homework. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliceBB Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks for that and I take it you are an expert.I consulted the lexicon and drew a blank. ---------- Post added 22-02-2013 at 08:14 ---------- Thanks AliceBB-I get cheesed off with marking this defective homework. Me too. Knowing that I am interested in language, a new neighbour of ours recently brought round his (typed up) list of 81 pet hates as far as English is concerned, presumably for my approval. They ranged from people using 'should of' instead of 'should have' to rather more subtle pronunciational nuances ('scone' with hard or soft 'o' sound). I found it hard to get very excited about any of them, but I did notice that he had an irritating habit of saying 'evidently' when he meant 'apparently'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnvqsos Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Me too. Knowing that I am interested in language, a new neighbour of ours recently brought round his (typed up) list of 81 pet hates as far as English is concerned, presumably for my approval. They ranged from people using 'should of' instead of 'should have' to rather more subtle pronunciational nuances ('scone' with hard or soft 'o' sound). I found it hard to get very excited about any of them, but I did notice that he had an irritating habit of saying 'evidently' when he meant 'apparently'... There is nowt so jealous than a convertible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.