saving the world

Joel Shaver vole at NETW.COM
Mon Dec 4 15:18:06 UTC 2006


I humbly beg for consideration to be made for the poor student who is
not a dues-paying member but who is content to listen and learn (aside
from making the odd clumsy post or two)...  I hope I speak on the behalf
of more than myself.  Some day, when I grow up, I'll pay my dues! :-)

Joel Shaver
University of Glasgow

Paul Johnston wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: saving the world
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Fine with me, Beverly.
>
> Paul
> On Dec 3, 2006, at 11:47 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
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ---------
>>
>> Mr. Zurinskas, would you please stop preaching to us about how we
>> "should"
>> speak English?  We're linguists and dialectologists, and we don't take
>> kindly to prescriptive preaching!   How are dialects "arbitrary"--
>> do we
>> just make them up as we go along?  And how do we stop them from
>> "taking
>> hold"?  Who ARE these "artificial dialectizers" who misspeak words--
>> all of
>> the millions of speakers of English around the world except thee
>> and me
>> (and not even me, apparently)?  Anything that doesn't match your
>> principles
>> is "not good"?  And "semplence"?  "Egyption"?  "speach"? "pear"?  I'd
>> suggest you check your own spelling, or are you artificially
>> changing it to
>> match your own alphabetic(al) principle?
>>
>> 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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>>
>
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