Grammar Rant

[McCulloch]

Is it so difficult?

• There = a non specified place not here.
• Their = a possessive pronoun. Belonging to them.
• They're = a contraction of "They are"

They're on their way back from over there. Not
There on there way back from over there.

• Your = possessive pronoun. Belonging to you.
• You're = contraction of "you are".

You're losing your understanding of English grammar. Not
Your loosing your understanding of English grammar.

• Its = possessive pronoun. Belonging to it.
• It's = contraction of "it is"

It's sad when grammar has lost its place in human society.

These are all different words. Really. Am I a dinosaur, to be peeved at the misuse of English? Will these distinctions go the way of "thee" and "thou" and "shall" and "will"?

[Lainey]

I hope not. I'm with you on this one. The thing is that there are so many people who use them improperly! I think I find it most annoying when bosses do it, because I start to think, "why am I under you, again?"

Maybe we're just snobs, McCulloch. Grammar snobs.

[theleftone]

You two'll love this.

[McCulloch]

You two'll love this.

Thanks, I enjoyed that. Purhaps we shuud awl spell fonetikly.
The problem, as I see it, is how do we determin wich pronounseeashun to standardize on and wich spelling to link to eech sound.
lets not awl start uzing the internashunal fonetic alfabet or this frum cambrij.

[ENIGMA]

Random fun fact I learned in Machine Learning class:

Further and farther are two words with slightly different meanings. One of them is used to refer to physical distance (how far something away is physically for instance) and the other is used to refer to metaphorical distance (how long until some event, for instance)

Which is which?

I honestly can't remember, and considering that they switch meaning roughly every century or so (likely because profoundly few other people can be bothered to remember), I honestly can't be bothered to try to work it out either.

[Cathar1950]

I believe dictionaries were first created to stop the corruption of English.
They just keep making new dictionaries. I love spell check.
Languages evolve. They go thru changes. Separate two groups with a language and after a time they need a translator. It will be interesting to see how the Internet and instant communication will effect language development.
So I don’t think of you as snobs. Which would be a better life one that saw change and the fall of the old ways or one that never sees and change?
Correct grammar is the privilege of the privileged.
I was reading that all languages go back about 50,000 ( I would have to look it up maybe it was 30,000 years)years ago in Turkey.
It sure has been corrupted. I hate to see it 100 years from now.

[McCulloch]

I believe dictionaries were first created to stop the corruption of English.

But dictionaries are now used to help people to use and understand the current version(s) of English.

Languages evolve. They go thru changes.

Or is that through?

Correct grammar is the privilege of the privileged.

For instance, read this from the venerable BBC regarding shall , will, would and should. What a mess! But a heck of a lot easier than learning the rules for these words from The King’s English, 2nd ed. 1908.

In th' olde dayes of the kyng arthour,
Of which that britons speken greet honour,
Al was this land fulfild of fayerye.
The elf-queene, with hir joly compaignye,
Daunced ful ofte in many a grene mede.
This was the olde opinion, as I rede;
I speke of manye hundred yeres ago.
But now kan no man se none elves mo,
For now the grete charitee and prayers
Of lymytours and othere hooly freres,
That serchen every lond and every streem,
As thikke as motes in the sonne-beem,
Blessynge halles, chambres, kichenes, boures,
Citees, burghes, castels, hye toures,
Thropes, bernes, shipnes, dayeryes --
This maketh that ther ben no fayeryes.

[Cathar1950]

But dictionaries are now used to help people to use and understand the current version(s) of English.

Is that weird or what?

Languages evolve. They go thru changes.

Or is that through?

I just know it is not threw.
should I go to the drive-thru or the drive-through?

But a heck of a lot easier than learning the rules for these words from The King’s English, 2nd ed. 1908.

I like the 1st ed. best.

Geoffrey Chaucer, now there is a man that knew his english.

[McCulloch]

I just know it is not threw.
should I go to the drive-thru or the drive-through?

Strangely, I have no problem with thru. I can see it as a phonetic abbreviation of through. Or nite instead of night. Not a problem for me.

But, heck, gosh darn it, there is not the same as their or they're and your is not the same as you're or yore!

Geoffrey Chaucer, now there is a man that knew his english.

Aye, but not ours.

[Cathar1950]

English a Germanic language with Latin rules.
I remember being in Germany many years ago and after listen to the language for two years I recall how some times when they spoke it made sense.

It will be interesting to see how the Internet shapes language and language use in the future.

I find it interesting to look at just the differences between Michigan’s UP and the Lower Peninsula. Then there are the loyalists Canadians across the Lakes. My kids have Canadian cousins but we still love them. I am still looking for a Canadian wife just in case the revolution doesn’t work.
When we revolted this country was paying less taxes then anyone in the world and the average income was 500,000 a year. Every time the Crown would give us(I am Scottish, German, Jewish and Native American) some litlte tax, we would bitch and they would back down. Spoiled rich educated kids our founding fathers.