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nick c wrote:
David Littlewood wrote: I suggest that, whatever the rights and wrongs of the meaning of language (and I do think you have a good point, regrettable though it is) the use of such a *******ised words is best avoided by those who value precision of language. Those who do use it may be suspected by some of slipshod linguistic standards David "English is the most widely learned and used foreign language in the world, and, as such, many linguists believe it is no longer the exclusive cultural emblem of "native English speakers," but rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it grows in use. Others believe that there are limits to how far English can go in suiting everyone for communication purposes. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language That is an excellent point. There should perhaps be some emphasis on the purpose of language though, which is to communicate information. Pedants of trivia who concern themselves with criticism of the "correct" mechanisms of language evolution are missing the point entirely. It makes *no* difference why or how a change takes place. All that counts is whether it serves the purpose well for communicating information. For some people that is more significant, and more apparent, than it is for others. Barrow happens to be a very international place, with a majority of the population speaking English as a second language. I typically hear people born in Mexico, American Samoa, Korea, the Philipines, and Thailand, not to mention the local Inupiaq speakers all speaking 1) their native language and 2) English that varies from person to person. *Nobody* cares whether words match precise dictionary meanings, because *point* is to communicate. When people *communicate*, the question is not "what did they say", but "what did they mean". -- FloydL. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) |
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