"Bargaining Chip": Antedating & Mystery

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Tue, Aug 13, 2002 at 06:20:25PM -0400, Rick H Kennerly wrote:
>
> Fact is, over the last several weeks quite a number of us little folks have
> been shot down in flames by the list's linguistic experts with little more
> explanation than a dismissive remark and a kick in the keyboard, their
> professional opinion unsupported by any evidence to the contrary, just
> because they say so.  One might be able to get away with that in the right
> classroom or meeting, but not in a public forum.  What's good for the
> goose... etc.

Perhaps you misunderstand the purpose for this list, which is intended
for academic professionals and other serious linguists to discuss matters
of relevance to the English language in America. It is not supposed to be
a place where anyone can wander in and have any random comment addressed
at length by experts, regardless of merit. It is a "public forum" because
we haven't felt the need to make it private, but it doesn't have to be so.
If our ability to have discussions is seriously hampered by the need to
address, at length, what Dennis Preston, who knows more about popular
beliefs on language than anyone else in the world, so accurately calls
"specious crap", then I'm sure we would consider restricting membership
to ADS-L.

Indeed, I think we spend quite a bit of time on this list addressing
straightforward comments and questions from the G.P., far more than on
other academic lists I'm on; relatively speaking we're an enormously
welcoming place.

I don't know why you continue to present this as some sort of "expert"
vs. "little folk" battle, when it's been made abundantly clear that
formal credentials have absolutely no bearing on what goes on here.

Jesse Sheidlower