The Allusionist: 17. Fix part I
September 1, 2015 7:30 AM - Subscribe

The English language is a mess. And if you don’t like it, what are you going to do about it – fix it? Good luck with that.

In the early 18th century, a movement of grammarians and authors wanted to set up an official authority to regulate English, like French had in the Academie Francaise. But is trying to fix a language a good move? Linguists Liv Walsh and Thomas Godard weigh up the evidence.

Full Show Notes and Additional Reading.

Mailchimp randomly selected word: toxophilite
posted by jazon (1 comment total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
This episode made me realize just how many regional variations of languages were destroyed by efforts to regulate language. I can only guess at how much poorer our ability to communicate is as a result. My guess: Much poorer.
posted by maxsparber at 8:22 AM on September 1, 2015


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