This is still an evolving series of thoughts (and long for facebook), but here goes my current thinking. I try to practise something along the route to proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. I hate text message shorthand. I find that following the rules makes comprehension of the written word a lot easier, and my reading (even on facebook) more pleasurable. And I’m pretty guilty historically of reminding people of the proper way to write, but I’m re-thinking my whole attitude. I find it somewhat hypocritical to pretend to be a liberal/progressive when I hang onto that most conservative of traits, “proper English.” American English (odd juxtaposition, eh?) is evolving, added to by immigrants, idioms, dialects and other languages, . How do you spell “schlep” or “apparatchik?” Why would I wish to be on the same side with regressives that want to make English the national language? I could make up some kind of cockamamie argument that good grammar is the mark of an intellectual, and it’s more likely that an intellectual will be a progressive. But that’s hogwash and elitist folderol. To hold onto an old language, as if we could somehow keep it from evolving is simply the mark of a conservative. Personally, I will still attempt to edit my writing, but great art and science often comes from the creativity of breaking the rules, so I will try accept it as I watch the language change. I’m sure there were many learned English that despised Mr. Shakespeare’s vulgar use of the language in his day.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 23:37:11 +0000
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