Resurrexi Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) I recently have discovered a website called [url="http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/"]Grammar Girl[/url]. Grammar Girl gives weekly grammar tips. I have discovered, though, that these ought not to be called helpful tips, but rather deceitful tricks. Not only does she permit [i]you[/i] to be used as an indefinite pronoun, but she also allows split infinitives. Though trying to help her readers improve their writing, Grammar Girl actually is bastardizing our language. Edited June 25, 2009 by Resurrexi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1901014' date='Jun 25 2009, 12:07 AM']Though trying to help her readers improve their writing, Grammar Girl actually is bastardizing our language. [/quote] [i]Well [/i]then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavenseeker Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 ummm what are you talking about and not to be rude but you seem to be the only grammar police person around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='heavenseeker' post='1901032' date='Jun 24 2009, 11:19 PM']ummm what are you talking about and not to be rude but you seem to be the only grammar police person around[/quote] What is wrong with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffpugh Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Write an angry letter! I wish I could grasp grammar and language like you can! Make me proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 It's annoying, sometimes. And grammar is sometimes *slightly* subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 The rule against split infinitives in English is just plain stupid. It is a wrong-headed attempt to make English as nearly identical to Latin as possible, and English is not now, never has been, nor ever will be Latin. The Latin infintive is always one word, but the English form is two words, "to VERB," for example, to walk, to talk, to think, to pray, etc. A long time ago, grammarians who blindly worshipped Latin as if it were the highest point of linguistic development in human history decided that the grammar of English could be improved by making it more like Latin grammar. Ergo, they set the rule: No Split Infinitives. That is, no adverb can be inserted between the "to" and the VERB parts, as in "I have to really study tonight" - because it CAN'T be done in Latin since the infinitive is always just one word. But in a sentence such as "I would like to respectfully disagree" (rather than the "correct" version "I would like to disagree respectfully," or "Respectfully, I would like to disagree"), splitting the infinitive "to disagree" by inserting the adverb "respectfully" does no harm to the sentence - no meaning is lost, no confusion results, no undesired connotations are added - in fact, the split infinitive version is arguably more elegant than either of the two "correct" versions. English should be treated as English, not as a bastardized version of Latin. The split infinitve does no harm other than to a centuries-old rule that was unnecessary in the first place. If the English language is being bastardized, the split infinitive is the least serious offender. Get thee to a mall. Interestingly, if Latin had really been the highest point of linguistic development in human history, it would not have died - it would have enabled us to express ourselves so articulately that we would still be using it. BUT as any student of the Latin knows: Latin is a dead language, dead as it can be, It killed off all the Romans, and now it's killing me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='Luigi' post='1901090' date='Jun 25 2009, 12:15 AM']The Latin infintive is always one word, but the English form is two words, "to VERB," for example, to walk, to talk, to think, to pray, etc. A long time ago, grammarians who blindly worshipped Latin as if it were the highest point of linguistic development in human history decided that the grammar of English could be improved by making it more like Latin grammar.[/quote] Latin [i]is [/i]the greatest linguistic development in human history. Like all great languages, it developed. This development is by no means anything against its greatness, as you assert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missionseeker Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Who says Latin is the greatest linguistic development? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='missionseeker' post='1901117' date='Jun 25 2009, 12:45 AM']Who says Latin is the greatest linguistic development? [/quote] The Holy Roman Church, which is the mother and mistress of all churches, uses the Latin language; therefore, the Latin language is the mother and mistress of all languages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musturde Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1901137' date='Jun 25 2009, 02:17 AM']The Holy Roman Church, which is the mother and mistress of all churches, uses the Latin language; therefore, the Latin language is the mother and mistress of all languages.[/quote] I utterly despise Latin and wish the Church used Aramaic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='musturde' post='1901141' date='Jun 25 2009, 01:32 AM']I utterly despise Latin and wish the Church used Aramaic.[/quote] You shouldn't despise Latin. The titulus affixed to our Lord's cross was written in three languages; Latin was one of those languages. Latin has been hallowed by our Lord's passion and death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeniteAdoremus Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='Resurrexi' post='1901145' date='Jun 25 2009, 09:46 AM']You shouldn't despise Latin. The titulus affixed to our Lord's cross was written in three languages; Latin was one of those languages. Latin has been hallowed by our Lord's passion and death.[/quote] Because His trial and condemnation were in Latin? Our Lord spoke Aramaic and sang Hebrew. The New Testament was written in Greek. If there is such a thing as "holiness" in languages, Latin would come [i]fourth[/i]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Why do I continue to open Res's threads in the hope that they will be about something... anything.... else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachael Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 [quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1901176' date='Jun 25 2009, 08:54 AM']Why do I continue to open Res's threads in the hope that they will be about something... anything.... else? [/quote] Because you [i]want[/i] to believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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