LL-L "Grammar" 2008.07.18 (01) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  - 18 July 2008 - Volume 01
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From: heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk <heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2008.07.17 (06) [E]

from heatherrendall at tiscali.co.uk

re the grammar debate

I think there is a difference between intelligibility and grammar.  "OUCH!"
is understandable but needs no rules/form/regulation/sequencing.

"You me book give"  is of course intelligible but it does not conform to
accepted/ usual / standard sequencing or sentence structure. It would not be
considered English-as-it-is-to-be-taught

Just because something can be understood by the universal "sympathetic
native speaker" doesn't mean that it is an acceptable structure.  It may
become so if it gets picked up and used by people but that is different. as
has been said many times before on this forum, language is always on the
move - dropping some things and picking others up.

Heather

PS English's lack of form also makes the mere re-sequencing of words still
easy to understand unless subject and objects are swapped.

What is understood by " me you book give" and why can't it mean "You give
me the book"

and reducing it to Yoda speak still doesn't differentiate between 'the book'
and 'a book'!!! (And I know some lsuccessful anguages don't)

•

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