Yes, along with the demise of the ‘er’ form of the comparative. Now everyone just throws “more” in front of the adverb—"more sad,” “more brave,” etc. It’s making me irritateder every day!
I share a little of your angst, but I also know that language is a river. You can be a boulder and gradually, but inevitably, get worn down; or you can be a pebble, and bounce along on a bruising joyride.
Like King Canute, you cannot stop the tide. As long as a language has aspect, the past tense is not required. Without evolution, English would still have genders and declensions. Whether this is a trend that will become permanent, or just a reflection of the education system and social media, only time will tell. 'You know that they say 'said' in Late English' 'How strange!'
Poor old King Canute. As punishment for proving to his courtiers that he did not have the power to turn tides, his courtiers trashed his memory with a lie. Verily, I apprehend that language evolves, especially with English and its magpie tendencies. But life was full in Lilliput with the arguments between the big-endians and the small-endians. ;-)
Yes, sometimes winning an argument is not the best idea. The argument about language is never likely to end. From 1984, to the Academie Francaise, to the internet and social media, the power of language fascinates us all, whether we know it or not.
Yes, along with the demise of the ‘er’ form of the comparative. Now everyone just throws “more” in front of the adverb—"more sad,” “more brave,” etc. It’s making me irritateder every day!
I agree. It's enough to make you spit the dummy. :-)
I agree and agreed with your comments. I don't spit or spat - I hope and hoped.
Doug, I tried to text Ed but we had a spat once and he's still ticked...
Welcome to The Matrix, Doug. You took BOTH pills, didn't you? 😉😆
:-)
I share a little of your angst, but I also know that language is a river. You can be a boulder and gradually, but inevitably, get worn down; or you can be a pebble, and bounce along on a bruising joyride.
I'm with the boulders. :-)
Like King Canute, you cannot stop the tide. As long as a language has aspect, the past tense is not required. Without evolution, English would still have genders and declensions. Whether this is a trend that will become permanent, or just a reflection of the education system and social media, only time will tell. 'You know that they say 'said' in Late English' 'How strange!'
Poor old King Canute. As punishment for proving to his courtiers that he did not have the power to turn tides, his courtiers trashed his memory with a lie. Verily, I apprehend that language evolves, especially with English and its magpie tendencies. But life was full in Lilliput with the arguments between the big-endians and the small-endians. ;-)
Yes, sometimes winning an argument is not the best idea. The argument about language is never likely to end. From 1984, to the Academie Francaise, to the internet and social media, the power of language fascinates us all, whether we know it or not.