Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar

[Laurence Urdang]

Of course dived is "far older" than "dove": the verb dive is what is called a "weak" verb (amongst those who know anything about general or comparative linguistics), hence does not change internally but adds the "weak" marker of the past, namely, "-d," "-ed," or some other dental sound.
  I am getting very tired of those who label "correct" as "hypercorrect" as if there were (that's a contrary-to-fact subjunctive, folks) some stigma attached to being correct.
  It should be borne in mind that, regardless of what how the language is spoken today, as far as we know from the available records, it was spoken "correctly," and, according to one contributor, we have the OED to thank for that information.  What we have to contend with today, as I wrote in an article published in 1966, is the mater of exposure, which depends on the unprecedented frequency (including reiteration) and distribution of today's speech, far outstripping those of the forms of language uttered in the past.  In other words, the relatively small population of speakers who say what they wish on TV, radio, in films, and via other electronic media might well exceed the number who have ever lived who have spoken a given language.  There is an interesting interchange on a collateral subject in a past issue of Verbatim, The Language Quarterly, on the expression, join the majority, where the literal meaning of majority is (legitimately?) questioned.
  L. Urdang

than Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
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Subject: Re: Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar
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OED suggests that "dived" is far older than "dove."

OTOH, "to I and _" has become the spoken norm in my experience as well. TV journalists seem never to use anything else. Never.

Most annoying.

JL

"David A. Daniel" wrote:
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I don't get it. OK, scuba-dived sounds kind of weird, but so does
scuba-dove. I think most folks would say "I went scuba diving" and sidestep
the issue. With or without the scuba, though, dived and dove are both
perfectly respectable as past tense for dive. Am I missing something? As for
"...sent it to I and my brother" I don't think I know anyone (any native
speakers, that is) who would say that. Maybe I don't know the right people?
DAD


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Laurence Urdang
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 10:11 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar

Heard today on WOR710, 0505, by Shelley Strickler:
dived
for "dove":
"I scuba-dived in Cancun."
I wonder if I shall ever again hear "me" instead of "I" in contexts like,
"He sent it to I and my brother" (let alone the inherent rudeness of
mentioning oneself before another or others, clearly a relic in the annals
of politeness).
I can tolerate anything as a professional linguist; but as a professional
writer who tries to cleave to an elevated style, I abhor such linguistic
miscegenations.
L. Urdang

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