Re: English

["Kim Boydell" <boydell@domain.elided>]

Hi Ben

I agree with you that our language is living and growing.  One of the
strength of English is its ability to absorb words and phrases from other
languages to augment existing words or to convey meaning were no word
currently exists.  I often have interesting discussions with my Francophone
friends about "preserving language and culture".  I am a firm believer that
the only language that shouldn't and doesn't change is Latin and that the
only culture worth preserving is in a petri dish.  Both should expand and
grow.

The value of changes in a language, however, should be measured in
increasing clarity and understandability, and many of the changes in English
have not improved it.  The demise of the comma and semi-colon has made
reading most difficult as it is often unclear where phrases and clauses
begin and end.  It is like being on a road without road signs or racing an
Alfa without braking points.  (you just knew I would sneak in some Alfa
content, didn't you :-)

When I was in junior public school we did drills of punctuating sentences so
that they made sense.  Then the system changed to where it did not matter if
the grammar was correct, as long as our writing was understandable.  Well,
that worked for simple sentences and simple ideas, but complex ideas and
compound sentences need punctuation.  I can not tell you how many times I
have reread a paragraph, even in Canada's national paper, trying to
determine the author's meaning.  Too often the changes are not those of a
growing language, but of a sloppy language.

As a person who suffered under this type of education (I don't blame the
teachers, the changes came from up on high) I spend many years in university
and later at work trying to learn what I should have learned in school so
that I could write my reports in clear and concise English.  If my clients
can not understand what I write, then I do not get paid.

Kim

P.S.  Not only are Alfa owners firm believers in buy high and sell low, but
we tend to spend thousands of dollars on our cars just before we sell them
to increase the selling price by hundreds of dollars.

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