Re: Grammar

Herman Rubin wrote:
> 
> In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
> Bob LeChevalier  <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Herman Rubin) wrote:
> >>In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
> >>Bill Bonde ( the oblique allusion in lieu of the frontal attack ) <[EMAIL 
> >>PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 
>                         ................
> 
> >>>An educational system which ignores the native grammar of a group of
> >>>people is going to produce less than excellent results.
> 
> >>This is typical of those who do not believe that there
> >>can be a "correct" language.
> 
> >You mean "linguists".
> 
> Do most linguists believe that today? 
>
That's what he said, isn't it? And how could a linguist believe anything
other than that there are ways in which people speak, groups generally
speak, and that there are ways which are prescribed by various
pedagogical bodies? 


> The ones who post
> on sci.lang seem to believe that a language is whatever
> the man in the street speaks, and that native speakers
> of a language speak in "perfectly".
> 
By definition a person speaks in his own idiolect. Of course if we
carefully documented yours, we would eventually find times when you
strayed from your rules by accident, made errors. I think forgiveness is
in order.



-- 
"Throw me that lipstick, darling, I wanna redo my stigmata."
+-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous"