saving the world

[Susan Burt]

Hello, Everyone,

I am new to this list--been on it for about 3 or 4 weeks, perhaps.  I
had just accepted the post of "Midwest secretary" of the ADS, and
thought I should be at least listening in on this list.  So, Beverly's
call for reform (below) and several of the messages have made me wonder
what kind of list this is, and whether the messages I have seen over
the past weeks are typical or whether I have just come in at a bad
time.  Are there moderators?  What do they do?  What are the goals of
this list? The only other list I am on is the LINGUIST list--and this
seems very different (I suspect one difference may be that their
moderators are paid, though probably not much).

This real linguist (though not dialectologist), and dues-paying ADS
member would welcome non-flaming enlightening comments.

thanks, everyone,

Susan



On Dec 3, 2006, at 10:47 PM, Beverly Flanigan wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: saving the world
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> <snip>
> I for one am getting tired of this kind of ranting on what was set up
> to be
> a neutral, objective, real-language-based listserv dedicated to the
> principles of the 100-year-old-plus American Dialect Society.  Are you
> aware of the ADS and what it stands for?  Are you a member?  Now I'm
> ranting!  But instead of ignoring these misguided missives, I'm going
> to
> renew the call of some years ago that we restrict subscription to this
> listserv to those who are paying members of the ADS or who at least
> have
> serious and unbiased contributions to make.  And I'm willing to let our
> moderators be the judges of that.  Anybody want to join me?
>
> At 01:07 AM 11/24/2006, you wrote:
>> The alphabetical principle holds that letters stand for sounds.  We
>> find now
>> that even Egyption hieroglyphic symbols stand for sounds, and we can
>> speak
>> the writings of 5,000 years ago because of this.
>>
>> Arbitrary dialects destroy this relationship and should they take hold
>> lessen the consistency of correspondence between letters and sounds
>> and make
>> English all the harder to read and learn.  Not good.
>>
>> Let's not be artificial dialectizers by misspeaking words, but rather
>> retainers of what semplence of alphabetic principle we have for
>> English.
>>
>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL4+
>> See truespel.com and the 4 truespel books at authorhouse.com.
>>
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