a joke about two pere ubuists

[Abdiel OAbdiel]

--- MalignD at aol.com wrote:
> > 
> A couple of things.   For one, stating that "no
> linguist in the world 
> supports your claim," is not the same as citing a
> linguist and stating what 
> he does believe.

True. The only linguist mentioned in this debate thus
far is Chomsky. As noted, several of the examples
(including "brang") that I provided are examples that
Chomsky has used to prove that folks that think the
way you do about language are wrong. 



> 
> Secondly, nothing in what I've written about
> prescriptive grammar and its 
> function tells you anything about how I think
> language works.   Presumptions 
> aren't arguments.   

Presumptions are not arguments. That's true. However,
your comments about prescriptive grammar have also
included statements about how language works. 

Here are some examples: 

It is certainly true that the plastic nature of
language outruns attempts finally to prescribe its
use. 

Nevertheless, the attempt to prescribe--to
approximate and enforce a standard--has far greater
support in reason than a merely political one.  At the
most basic level, precision and complexity in thought
requires precision in language if it is to be
communicated as intended.  This basic truth is
needlessly complicated, if not made impossible, if
rules are flaunted as arbitrary and political.

It's not a matter of politics
(although politics has certainly entered the matter),
but one of agreed-upon standards for the sake of
advancing and intelligibly exchanging thought.

Cyrus: <<Rules are but a tool by which to examine how
  language works.>>

This is false but, even were it true, it would yet be
a good reason to maintain rules.


> 
> And yes, I've managed (I think) to understand you
> despite your garbled 
> syntax, but that's only true (if true) because what
> you've written is fairly 
> simplistic and because you are deviating in only
> small ways from established 
> rules that you are otherwise following.   Take your
> argument to its logical 
> end and you'll be speaking an ideolect that is, to
> anyone but yourself, rank 
> gibberish.

Well, at least I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong. 

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