PSAT Glitch

[Arnold Zwicky]

a bit more on IISIIAU.  (this is off the main topic here, but you
might find it grimly entertaining.)  my thanks to geoff pullum
for all the observations that follow.

modern speakers and writers of english show a very strong tendency
to locate the focus adverbs "only" and "even" early in the clause,
between subject and predicate (or after the first auxiliary verb):
  I only saw one dog.           (1)
        I will only see one dog.
  I even saw a hippopotamus.
        I will even see a hippopotamus.
usage manuals pretty uniformly inveigh against this, insisting that
the focus adverbs should be located immediately before the constituents
they focus on:
  I saw only one dog.           (2)
        I will see only one dog.
  I saw even a hippopotamus.
        I will see even a hippopotamus.

the usual rationale is that examples like (1) are potentially
ambiguous, between focus on the whole predicate ('the only thing i did
was see one dog') and some narrower focus ('the only thing i saw was
one dog' or 'the only number of dogs i saw was one'; note that even
(2) allows for both of these readings, [only [one dog]] vs.  [[only
one] dog]).  accordingly, IISIIAU brands examples like (1) as
unacceptable, since their counterparts in (2) lack the potential
ambiguity of scope.

now, the cute part.  copy editors are trained to notice these "errors"
and "fix" them.  they do this rapidly and skillfully.  *and they never
seem to need to consult the authors about their intentions.* that is,
the copy editors correctly divine the writers' intentions, virtually
one hundred percent of the time; they are, after all, intelligent
people and practiced at comprehending language.  but still they alter
the text to fit the abstract rule.  the rule lives on, quite
independently of its purported rationale.  IISIIAU rules, so to speak.

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)