LL-L "Grammar" 2006.05.16 (07) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 03 May 2006 * Volume 07
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From: Wa2kbzKarl at wmconnect.com
Subject: LOWLANDS-L Digest - 14 May 2006 to 15 May 2006 (#2006-134)

In a message dated 5/15/2006 11:01:10 PM Central Daylight Time,
LISTSERV at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG writes:

> Some of us still try to use "whom". I especially make sure to use it
after a
> preposition. "For who the bell tolls" sounds horrible to me.
>
> Kevin Caldwell

Hope this simple reply works!

I agree with Kevin. The whole matter of such sloppy English could be solved
if MY High School English teachers (we had a full hour of English Grammar
and a full hour of American - first two years of school- or later English
literature every day. A statement such as "For Who" would have earned us a
knuckle rap, and an "ain't" was followed by standing in front of class,
holding a book in each outstretched hand for a few minutes. Back talk or
disrespect was punished by the headmaster in person, with a pointer
applied to the nether regions. It was never repeated.  By the end of my
sophmore year, I was on intimate terms with Chaucer, Beowulf, Shakespear,
Ibsen, Plutarch, Herodotus, Caesar - in Latin , the Saxon Chronicles,
Virgil, Dunne, the Illiad - in English, Dante and various American
writers. We memorized numerous excerpts from Hamlet and MacBeth (still
know some today) and MacCaulay.  I never cracked an English gramar book in
college as a result, nor did I have to read the assigned books - I had had
them in my freshman year of HS. Thus has the level of public school
instruction in the USA, and today it is much worse. My first two years of
HS are now the equivalent of at least a BA in English today. I have
written poetry,
several short stories, and several important technical books - all
published - and often was called upon to correct the tortured English
writing of my managers.
It has been my observation that boy's books, written in the 1910's for 11 to
14 year old boys, are difficult reading for many adults today with a college
degree.  Some would say it is stilted, overly formal English. Actually, it
was "dumbed down" (to use a popular modern phrase) for youth of the day.
One of the primary factors of the loose and simplified grammar and
vocabulary amongst the hoi poloi today is the effect of salesmen such as
Dale Carnegie, in advocating very simple and direct declaritive sentences
and the total rejection of the subjunctive case and so forth. This took
radid effect in the business world.
Also, laxity in teachers' schools produced English teachers, who would be
unable to pass my sophmore final exam (HS).  I have met such. Finally, the
classroom mixture of children included many for whom English was a second
language; the new PC attitude was to keep it simple so as to make it easy
for them. This was in reality unfair to them; it was not unusual in the
past for a european immigrant (my family) to arrive knowing little
English, but rapidly learning it. They made great contributions in
science, literature and law, and used superb English. The other tendancy,
in many inner city schools in particular, was to give up any semblance of
discipline, and the resulting chaos was a poor environment for learning.
Semi-literate graduates then wondered why they had a hard time finding
meaningful jobs or entry to quality colleges.
A cousin of mine, a teacher of English, got into trouble in school when she
dared to add a few dozen useful words in her lessons that were not on the
approved list for that grade. This was so they could read a book that had
been at the sixth grade level in "my day" .  These were second year high
school students. She finally quit and went to work for a bank, where her
English and French fluency was appreciated!  This bodes ill for the future
of the USA!

Best Regards,

Karl Schulte
...enjoying my kluntje kandi in MO.
PS: If I have missed any typo's, sorry. I recently lost center of left eye
and can't see well with depth perception and keep missing keys (2 finger
typist!!)

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