koch@liszt.DEC (Kevin Koch LTN1-2/B17 DTN229-6274) (06/25/85)
>> 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.