Well, my $.02... > Many have commented on the death of English by pointing out the > pronunciation of the hip hop culture as manifested by > "yo, yo, don't ax me, homey."
I hate to disagree with you all, but I think the modern world has done more to fix English (especially written English) in it's current state and slow it's drift than it has to alter the language. The invention of the printing press has probably been the single most influential event in the history of the language. Although it may not seem it at first, as an example of the power of the printing press, consider this. Middle English is largely a bastardization of Old English & French together. We native Enlish speakers owe that to William the Conqueror (1066 CE) (who in turn owes his lineage to the Norse - hence "Normandy" and the "Norman" invaders of 1066 -- Heh, if you live in the UK, close your eyes: the English & anglo-american culture is largely a product of 3 distinct invasions of Scandinavians!). In any case, Middle English evolved into modern English in maybe 400 years. By the mid 1400s, with the printing press pumping out all sorts of published works, the language was more or less as we see it now. Consider that one can still pick up a book from the 1500s and make much sense of it! Shakespeare's literature is still quite readable and understandable without modern translations! The language hasn't changed much in 500 years... In the 20th century, English became even more fixed against drift. Since it has become such an influential and well used language the world over spoken and understood by millions (and billions maybe), it has become even more standardized and "time-proof." It is more important than ever that English speakers catch every nuance of the language, and to that extent, the language has evolved into something extremely stable. For those who like to think that Ebonics is not proper English, examine the dialect more closely. It still follows the same grammar rules and syntax as more mainstream English - mostly the lexicon has changed. The same is true, really, of modern English as compared to Elizabethan English - the grammar and sentence structure are exactly the same, only the lexicon has changed. Compared to OE or ME, otoh, there are drastic differences. I'm not a linguist though, I just play one on TV! ;-) Thinking about going back to school for that though - with the lousy job market and my somewhat more than passing interest in linguistics and philology, who knows... Oh, and that bit about the printing press is true for ALL printed languages. The press has influenced civilization probably more than any other invention in this history of human kind (except maybe fire). So, if you want to put up a front about "evolution of language" and all that as an excuse for being lazy, go ahead. I'll believe you in 100 years when everyone else is writing sentences with no punctuation! ;-) Of course, I don't claim to have perfect English skills, or even to always try my best while typing, but when I want to submit a paper for publication or for academic study, you bet your ass I go over it again and again looking for grammar errors. In the end, the English you and I use is still the same English that was used 500+ years ago. On the other hand, I don't make a fuss when someone who has poor English skills (or is being lazy) posts to the list with a screwy sentence. That's a very small thing to do. >Yeah, yeah, Paul, this thread is officially dead. Hee hee. Ok, Paul. Now you can close this thread. ;-) Peace, Drew -- Having graduated (with a physics BS :-P), I will be using the email address <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Please update your address book. <http://homepage.mac.com/alk/> "Anyone can fly, all you have to do is throw yourself at the ground and miss." -Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
