Comments on: Language Victories

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:45:43 +0000

“Fucking up grammar” is always an interesting concept to deal with. Let me precede this with saying I’m a descriptivist (and fellow grammar fetishist) and that I think that “fucking up grammar” is a concept resulting from prescriptivism and cranky grammar nazis.

Isn’t it fun to play with language and to toy with innovative structures that represent language change in progress or catch someones ear in a particular way, or represent poetic license? Why is it okay to do this when it is wrong for someone to stop making a distinction between ‘who’ and ‘whom’, or ‘that’ and ‘who’ as a relative pronoun? Both of these things could be considered ‘fucking up grammar’ by different crowds, but only one gains acceptance.

Just some thoughts. Love the blogâ€” I’m attempting to get my own rolling (on general topics of language, linguistics, programming and local news), but it’s taken some work. Check it out, anyway. 🙂

By: indra

indra — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:30:39 +0000

I am delighted to read your blog but I think I have to disagree about the grammar issue. All cats hate being stroked in the wrong direction but in the current age there just aren’t that many that give a hoot about grammar. I think it’s good to keep in mind that grammar is not static whereas cats will probably always hate being stroked in the wrong direction unless some wacky shit happens to kitty DNA in a some years. blah blah. I think it’s a little great to fuck with grammar. It makes things interesting–it certainly draws my attention when I read a book and find an error or two (over two and I just think that the author is stupid or had a really lazy editor).

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:25:48 +0000

@craig: it was a montage of cat owners saying “she’s a talker,” with varying degrees of loving affectation.

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:54:07 +0000

for those who weren’t quick on the draw and therefore missed the cat video … what happened in it?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:12:14 +0000

As evidence of the importance of Nico’s observation, see Exhibit A, the NYT’s removal of said error by completely restructuring the sentence.

Grammar 4evah.

Is an “old gay dog lady” not a thing becauze it’s cooler than an “old gay cat lady,” or becauze it’s not a thing? I’m the former for sure. Or zure.

By: Liner Notes Danny

Liner Notes Danny — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:50:58 +0000

…and the creator of that video just sent me a really, really nice note asking me to take it down, so I’ve done so.

It will live forever, in our hearts.

By: Liner Notes Danny

Liner Notes Danny — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:59:03 +0000

Our cat (Tyger Tyger) is NOT a talker, so I’ve actually begun making a huge noisy production of feeding her just in the hopes that she will become super-excited and meow for us. Which works, but also makes me a pathetic gay cat-lady x 1,000.

By: Ian

Ian — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:07:12 +0000

Nico,

You may already be aware of these blogs, but if you appreciate the sinews and innards of language then you’ll probably fall quickly in love with Language Log and Language Hat. They’re both highly entertaining sites.

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1266

http://www.google.com/reader/view/#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.languagehat.com%2Findex.rdf

By: killian

killian — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:44:00 +0000

Well, then, Patrick- as- an -old -gay- cat lady, may I be one of those pretty kitties in your future? We can chat about Nico””s love of grammar until the wee hours. . .

By: dave

dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:16:30 +0000

hey, no big deal, it””s just I’m used to you having far more interesting things to say than to complain about an errant apostrophe, which, where I come from is the domain of nerds and pub bores (:
Just keeping you on your toes old bean.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:49:20 +0000

You’re so right about grammar! I love your blog. It cheers me up. What’s more lovable than that?

By: Judd

Judd — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:39:56 +0000

I enjoy the YouTube tags on that video, as well as Danny’s apparent homage to them.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:24:06 +0000

well shit. thank you very much. my future life as an old gay cat lady just flashed before my eyes. Is this truly all that I have to look forward to????

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:06:56 +0000

What about when the rules of grammar are played with and/or destroyed? Like in Wilson’s tribute to Glass?