English is "diminishing"

[John]

Reminds me of this
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2007/07/18/txt_msgs_and_intrnt_abbrvs_bad.aspx


On 2008/02/04, at 14:36, Laurence Horn wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: English is "diminishing"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>> Wow, thanks for passing this along.
>>
>> Still, this piece is so poorly argued and violative of the linguistic
>> principles it pretends to defend that I wonder whether it's
>> intended as
>> parody.
>
> No, I think it's a deadly serious but poorly written undergraduate
> essay.
>
> "The movie "Clueless" is based on Jane Austen's novel "Emma,"
> although students and adults alike fail to regard Austen's prolific
> work as the mother of literary offspring."
>
> Two parts oblivion with a dollop of delusional, stir until completely
> mixed, add in a pinch of hostility,...
>
> What can you say?
>
> LH
>
>>
>>
>> On 2/4/08 10:03 AM, "Andrea Morrow" <aandrea1234 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> I teach business communication, and I subscribe to an online
>>> headline
>>> news service that supposedly brings me "the top headlines in the
>>> field" (according to the service's copy).
>>>
>>> One of today's headlines was "English Language Still Diminishing in
>>> Quality".  As we all know, this has been such a familiar complaint,
>>> it's a wonder English hasn't diminished right out of existence.
>>> Turns
>>> out, the headline is from a college newspaper editorial, with such
>>> statements as: "Wave goodbye to the days of extant originality and
>>> herald the proximity of clones thinking similar ideas."  Here's the
>>> link:
>>>
>>> http://theapp.appstate.edu/content/view/3060/41/
>>>
>>> I only mention this because it feeds the common (mis)perception that
>>> English is somehow endangered - and it came to me via a supposedly
>>> professional channel that is said to capture the latest ideas.
>>>
>>> Andrea
>>>
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>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
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