Comments on: Interview: “Grammar Girl” http://abbeville.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/interview-grammar-girl-mignon-fogarty/ Abbeville Press - Art - Books - Publishing - New York - The Universe Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:33:59 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: abbeville http://abbeville.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/interview-grammar-girl-mignon-fogarty/#comment-334 abbeville Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:54:08 +0000 http://abbeville.wordpress.com/?p=1466#comment-334 We agree with both you and Grammar Girl on the split infinitive rule, which was a particularly mindless grafting of Latin grammar onto English, but as for most of the other rules...who's to say they weren't just as arbitrary in Latin? Without being too dogmatic, we're in favor of maintaining some semblance of "standard English" if only because we believe that rules are made to be--elegantly--broken. If anything goes, all the time, playing with language becomes less interesting because there is nothing to play with, no conventions to overturn. Also, of course, some of the rules do make sense, and facilitate clear expression of thought. We agree with both you and Grammar Girl on the split infinitive rule, which was a particularly mindless grafting of Latin grammar onto English, but as for most of the other rules…who’s to say they weren’t just as arbitrary in Latin? Without being too dogmatic, we’re in favor of maintaining some semblance of “standard English” if only because we believe that rules are made to be–elegantly–broken. If anything goes, all the time, playing with language becomes less interesting because there is nothing to play with, no conventions to overturn. Also, of course, some of the rules do make sense, and facilitate clear expression of thought.

]]> By: Bob Duggan http://abbeville.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/interview-grammar-girl-mignon-fogarty/#comment-331 Bob Duggan Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:21:45 +0000 http://abbeville.wordpress.com/?p=1466#comment-331 I second Grammar Girl in boldly splitting infinitives where nobody has boldly split infinitives before. Ever since I read Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue and his explanation of how the rules of English were based on the rules for Latin, which doesn't split infinitives for the simple reason that it doesn't have them, I've been a grammar agnostic. If I recall correctly, Bryson calls English rules for grammar and their Latin source equal to playing football using the rules for baseball. --Bob P.S.--When I saw the reference to "Chicago 6.78," I felt an overwhelming urge to make a huge "Chicago 6.78" sign, buy a rainbow-colored wig, and appear in the background of nationally televised sporting events. (If you don't get the reference, Google "Rollen Stewart.") I second Grammar Girl in boldly splitting infinitives where nobody has boldly split infinitives before. Ever since I read Bill Bryson’s The Mother Tongue and his explanation of how the rules of English were based on the rules for Latin, which doesn’t split infinitives for the simple reason that it doesn’t have them, I’ve been a grammar agnostic. If I recall correctly, Bryson calls English rules for grammar and their Latin source equal to playing football using the rules for baseball.

–Bob

P.S.–When I saw the reference to “Chicago 6.78,” I felt an overwhelming urge to make a huge “Chicago 6.78″ sign, buy a rainbow-colored wig, and appear in the background of nationally televised sporting events. (If you don’t get the reference, Google “Rollen Stewart.”)

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