Prescriptivism and the cinema

[Jonathan Lighter]

Yeah, but he still put the blame on her.

I heard a lot of prescriptivist statements in my impressionable years, but
I've never heard the one reported by Wilson.

In my day, maybe the worst thing you could do, short of writing "ain't" with
a straight face, was to use "contact" as a verb.  That taboo may have even
edged out, in severity, the controversial uses of "presently" and
"hopefully."
JL
On Thu, Jul 15, 2010 at 4:19 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: Prescriptivism and the cinema
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 7/15/2010 03:51 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >The Jesuit teaching the course
> >suggested that, as a mnemonic, we keep in mind the song title, "*Put
> >The Blame On* Mame."
>
> Considering the content and aura of the movie as well as the song,
> and especially as danced by Hayworth (gyrations, slit skirt, and
> gloves and shoes shedded), a remarkably tolerant Jesuit.
>
> Joel
>
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