Re: As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- From: "Skitt" <skitt99@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:05:38 -0700
Don Phillipson wrote, in part:
2. For about 100 years, most school teachers taught
and enforced this distinction. Thus if a child asked "Can
I go to the bathroom?" the teacher would require that the
child ask again in strictly correct manner, "May I go . . . ?"
But nowadays many teachers do not enforce this rule
(and some adults do not know it.)
Thus in real encounters it is unsafe to assume our
friends know this distinction, let alone observe it, and
impossible to know this of strangers. This leaves the
onus on you and me. Should we observe the strict difference
in meaning (at the risk of being judged old-fashioned or
pedantic) or ignore it (at the risk of offending people
who want to maintain the distinction) ?
That is becoming a real problem for those who are of an advanced age, like I am, for instance. The language is changing, and what used to be ungrammatical or was deemed to be an error is becoming common usage among the younger set. Sure, it started with lack of knowledge, but with things working the way they do, those errors are now totally acceptable, except maybe in formal usage.
That makes it difficult for you and I. ;-)
--
Skitt (AmE)
.
- References:
- As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- From: Masa
- Re: As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- From: Masa
- Re: As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- From: Don Phillipson
- As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- Prev by Date: Re: Savoring another Safire bon-bon
- Next by Date: Re: Usenet Legal Problems?
- Previous by thread: Re: As an answer to "Can I use your phone?"
- Next by thread: Examination disgrace
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
