File under: Say it ain't so

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Oct 23, 2010, at 1:28 PM, Joel S. Berson wrote:

> Another article.
>
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/8080832/Jane-Austens-famous-prose-may-not-be-hers-after-all.html#disqus_thread
>
> By Anita Singh, Arts Correspondent.
>
> Although here the author doesn't know her grammar from her spelling:
>
> "Amongst Austen's grammatical misdemeanours was an inability to
> master the 'i before e' rule. Her manuscripts are littered with
> distant 'veiws' and characters who 'recieve' guests." ...

i used to spend a lot of time writing on Language Log about how People in the Street view "grammar" as covering everything that's regulated in language -- but especially spelling and punctuation, because these are so easy to see and criticize. It's All Grammar, is the slogan.

but you can only sing a song so many times, and then there's no audience. most of the people i was addressing just thought i was a prissy academic, anyway, so they didn't listen to the song.

arnold

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