Comments on: The Complaints of a Pedant http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/ Thoughts and musings on theatre, especially in Britain Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:57:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Nicholas Shea http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1085 Nicholas Shea Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:25:58 +0000 http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1085 Well, I don’t think Joyce is taking any liberties here. As for ‘TEXT speak’, one could always play the devil’s advocate. Here is the Prefactory to “English As She is Wrote”: -- "Anybody," said an astute lawyer, addressing the jury to whom the opposing counsel had reflected upon inaccuracies in the spelling of his brief - "anybody can write English correctly, but surely a man may be allowed to spell a word in two or three different ways if he likes!" This was a claim for independence of action which so commended itself to the jury that it won a verdict for his client. The same plea may be considered in regard to the truly wonderful way in which the mother-tongue is often written, by the educated sometimes as well as by the uneducated. A man, it may be urged, has a right to spell as he chooses, and to express his ideas, when he has any, as best he can; while, when he suffers from a dearth of those rare articles, he has still more reason to rejoice in liberty of choice in respect to the language he selects to cover his poverty of thought. Hence there are doubtless good and sufficient reasons for every specimen of "English as she is wrote," which it is the object of this little book to rescue from oblivion, and which have, one and all, been written with the sober conviction, upon the part of the writers, that they accurately conveyed the meaning they desired. Intentionally humorous efforts have been carefully excluded, and the interest of the collection consists in the spontaneity of expression and in the fact that it offers fair samples of the possibilities which lie hidden in the orthography and construction of our language. Let it be remembered, then, that anybody can write English as she "should be wrote," and hence that a certain meed of admiration is due to those who, exercising their right of independent action, succeed in making it at once original and racy, and in conveying, without the least effort, meanings totally opposed to their intention, affording thereby admirable examples of English as "she is wrote" by thousands. -- Well, come back Vicky Pollard, all is forgiven. All this wrangling over colons has twisted mine into a torsion. But this is not the forum for IBS. As a poor man, who cannot afford to visit the theatre, I very much appreciate all the hard work you do in preparing the weekly newsletter; it gives me a real sense of what is going on outside my secluded little life. Keep up the great work. Best wishes, Nicholas Well, I don’t think Joyce is taking any liberties here. As for ‘TEXT speak’, one could always play the devil’s advocate. Here is the Prefactory to “English As She is Wrote”:
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“Anybody,” said an astute lawyer, addressing the jury to whom the opposing counsel had reflected upon inaccuracies in the spelling of his brief - “anybody can write English correctly, but surely a man may be allowed to spell a word in two or three different ways if he likes!” This was a claim for independence of action which so commended itself to the jury that it won a verdict for his client. The same plea may be considered in regard to the truly wonderful way in which the mother-tongue is often written, by the educated sometimes as well as by the uneducated.

A man, it may be urged, has a right to spell as he chooses, and to express his ideas, when he has any, as best he can; while, when he suffers from a dearth of those rare articles, he has still more reason to rejoice in liberty of choice in respect to the language he selects to cover his poverty of thought. Hence there are doubtless good and sufficient reasons for every specimen of “English as she is wrote,” which it is the object of this little book to rescue from oblivion, and which have, one and all, been written with the sober conviction, upon the part of the writers, that they accurately conveyed the meaning they desired. Intentionally humorous efforts have been carefully excluded, and the interest of the collection consists in the spontaneity of expression and in the fact that it offers fair samples of the possibilities which lie hidden in the orthography and construction of our language. Let it be remembered, then, that anybody can write English as she “should be wrote,” and hence that a certain meed of admiration is due to those who, exercising their right of independent action, succeed in making it at once original and racy, and in conveying, without the least effort, meanings totally opposed to their intention, affording thereby admirable examples of English as “she is wrote” by thousands.
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Well, come back Vicky Pollard, all is forgiven. All this wrangling over colons has twisted mine into a torsion. But this is not the forum for IBS. As a poor man, who cannot afford to visit the theatre, I very much appreciate all the hard work you do in preparing the weekly newsletter; it gives me a real sense of what is going on outside my secluded little life. Keep up the great work. Best wishes,

Nicholas

]]> By: peter http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1083 peter Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:20:29 +0000 http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1083 A man after my own heart! I would say that Joyce did tend to take a lot of liberties with language which we lesser mortals might avoid. And I avoid TEXT speak even when texting! u wll nvr c me wrtng like ths, m8! A man after my own heart!

I would say that Joyce did tend to take a lot of liberties with language which we lesser mortals might avoid.

And I avoid TEXT speak even when texting! u wll nvr c me wrtng like ths, m8!

]]> By: Nicholas Shea http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1081 Nicholas Shea Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:12:15 +0000 http://blog.britishtheatreguide.info/2008/07/13/the-complaints-of-a-pedant/#comment-1081 When he was quite sure that the narrative had ended he laughed noiselessly for fully half a minute. Then he said: 'Well!... That takes the biscuit!' -- James Joyce, 'Two Gallants', Dubliners. In this case, it's a colon and not a comma. As you can see, I am not disinterested and share your frustrations, especially when bloggers use 'TEXT speak' to spell. The progressive ink-slingers, who edit the OED, think it fit to include such nonsense. I am a fossil who, when lost for words, prefers to consult Roget's Thesaurus from 1911; it has lots of Latin phrases that I like to look up. When he was quite sure that the narrative had ended he laughed noiselessly for fully half a minute. Then he said:
‘Well!… That takes the biscuit!’
— James Joyce, ‘Two Gallants’, Dubliners.

In this case, it’s a colon and not a comma. As you can see, I am not disinterested and share your frustrations, especially when bloggers use ‘TEXT speak’ to spell. The progressive ink-slingers, who edit the OED, think it fit to include such nonsense. I am a fossil who, when lost for words, prefers to consult Roget’s Thesaurus from 1911; it has lots of Latin phrases that I like to look up.

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