American English Official Grammar Reference Book

[Genevra Gerhart]

Again Will Ryan hits a bull's eye on the head!

Or, as we say, how do you like them apples?

Genevra Gerhart
 
ggerhart at comcast.net
 
www.genevragerhart.com
www.russiancommonknowledge.com
 

-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
[mailto:SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of William Ryan
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 3:26 AM
To: SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] American English Official Grammar Reference Book

I hesitate to join in a discussion which arises from a query about US 
usage but I would disagree slightly with Paul Gallagher's note on 
'different to/from/than insofar as it relates British English. I think 
any careful British editor would accept only 'different from' at almost 
any level of publication. 'Different to' is commonly heard in British 
colloquial English but would still probably be corrected by any British 
school teacher of English; many would regard it as being 'uneducated'. 
'Different than' is occasionally heard in Britain but I suspect sounds 
American to most and is unlikely to be used by educated British 
speakers, although the OED gives a substantial list of writers who have 
used this construction.

Of course, editors and authors of style books can hardly escape the 
orthodoxies of their youth, and recommended 'good practice' in written 
English will commonly differ from current colloquial usage even of 
educated English speakers in any part of the English-speaking world. I 
went to school at a time when a split infinitive would be seized upon by 
a teacher as a vulgar error. Even now my editorial blue pencil twitches 
involuntarily when I see one, despite my recognition of the historical 
and linguistic absurdity of the convention and the awful contortions one 
sometimes has to perform to observe it. We may have no Academie to 
legislate in these matters, as has been pointed out, but the conditioned 
responses of old style education (e.g. from a slap on the hand if you 
got it wrong), the fear of social solecism (for British English remember 
Pygmalion/My Fair Lady and the still not entirely forgotten U/nonU 
debate), or the dread of a sneering review, have strong normative 
influences.

Will Ryan
 

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.17.1/1181 - Release Date: 12/11/2007
5:05 PM
 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------