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Re: Active versus passive (WAS Displays versus Appears-Which One? )
Subject:Re: Active versus passive (WAS Displays versus Appears-Which One? ) From:"Dick Margulis" <margulis -at- mail -dot- fiam -dot- net> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 19 Dec 2000 15:58:17 -0500
Bruce Byfield wrote:
>The truth is, English is a
>far more flexible tool than prescriptive grammar allows for.
and some other true stuff.
And Bruce, I agree with you. But the vocabulary used to write the rules of prescriptive grammar is still needed to discuss grammar descriptively. [There is much self-conscious rule-breaking going on in this paragraph, lest anyone think it unintentional.]
The fact is that the generative grammar of linguists and the descriptive grammar of English teachers are both valid. They address different needs, though. Understanding the way languages (spoken tongues) evolve is a wonderful thing. Being able to communicate concrete ideas in writing to a broad audience in a way that minimizes misunderstanding is also a wonderful thing. These two wonderful things are largely orthogonal to each other, so we should try to use the two senses of the word _grammar_ apart from each other, lest we cause more confusion than we relieve.
Dick
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