[B-Greek] (somewhat off-topic) Language in flux
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Mar 9 06:53:45 EST 2011
The subject-header points to one of my recurrent ad nauseams with
respect to Koine Greek. There is an interesting column on this
morning's NYTimes op-ed page on the subject by Robert Lane Greene,
who has just this week published a new book entitled,“You Are What
You Speak: Grammar Grouches, Language Laws and the Politics
of Identity." The column is entitled, "On Language Sticklers":
http://schott.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/guest-post-robert-lane-greene-on-language-sticklers/
= http://tinyurl.com/6bujk8m
Greene discusses the astounding increase in literacy and its
impact on traditional grammar, etc. His concluding statement:
"We may be just be seeing more of language’s real-world diversity –
dialect, nonstandard grammar and all – in written form, whereas
150 years ago those same people would never write. That’s something
to celebrate, not to complain about."
I'm wondering, by the way, whether the plural of "ad nauseam"
should be "ad nauseas" -- but the very idea is sickening.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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