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Subject:Re: Sorry From:Karen Kay <karenk -at- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 8 Nov 1994 11:29:20 -0800
Vollbach, Elizabeth said:
> I guess the world will get along
> just fine with double negatives, "aints," and "come withs."
The thing is, both this list and the copyediting list have been filled
with this discussion of regionalisms. I find it highly inappropriate
to discuss these things on these lists. I am on *other* lists for
that!
There are very real differences between speech and writing. You may
prescribe for writing, and discuss what is 'proper' and what is not.
Even, what is grammatical and what is not. But for speech, you just
don't do that. Any utterance a native speaker makes is by definition
grammatical. You may not like it, but that doesn't make it wrong. The
lines for writing are clearer, and since this is the tech writers
list, I say that's what we stick to.