he and who

[victor steinbok]

Wilson, of course, is right--to a point. I don't like the "who" as
interpreted in this case, but I grudgingly accept it and it does not make me
cringe (if I talk to children or ESL students, I stick to the
rule--prescriptive when one needs to be). But the "he" really did make me
cringe this time. And it would always make me cringe in a similar position.

VS-)

On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 9:58 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 2:26 PM, victor steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > the "he" and the "who" are not merely coincidental.
>
> That is sadly the case.
>
> What was considered to be a hypercorrection typical of only the
> pwaydo-literate in the 40's and '50' - everyone _except_ the
> pretentious said and wrote "for him and his employer"; "on whom you
> ask" was the ordinary literary standard - is become normal, in not
> precisely "standard," usage.
>
> --
> -Wilson

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