In a message dated 8/16/06 2:40:06 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

I wonder if this “slippage” might be a part of a broader populism that we are seeing in politics, education, the arts, etc.

But Herb, how do you know that what you're seeing as "slippage" isn't just the natural evolution of the language?

In fact, I am wondering why the role of English teachers seems to always be to slow down this process and defend the traditional conventions.

Take, for instance, the ubiquitous singular "they" as in "everyone should bring their books." Why do we automatically insist that "they" is plural and therefore the correct sentence should be "everyone should bring his or her books." Wouldn't it be surprising, for once, if English teachers decided that the evolution of "their" from simply plural to both singular and plural (as occured with "you") is a positive development and encouraged it.

But the larger question for me is how anyone decides when a rule has changed. If we can't trust the NY Times or Tom Clancy, whom can we trust.

The American Heritage Dictionary employs a "usage panel" and actually reports the percentage that found a certain usage objectionable. But that is only for usage issues. Does anyone do this for grammar and punctuation? Would ATEG be interested in taking on this task? Right after our Scope and Sequence is adopted nationally, of course.

Peter Adams
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