She also makes broad judgements about how language should and should not be used, proclamations that I can't say I believe. It's good to know that echo questions are considered weak questions, but to my mind that doesn't mean I should never use them. While there transformations make for cluttered diagrams, I think they're very useful for say, a Percy voice. Because the alternatives provided are stiff, formal and dead.
Gah. Prescriptive linguistics. I hate it when instructors say such nonsense. For me, linguistics is about the study of language, of how it's usage. If language users use echo question, she can't just dismiss that as incorrect.
There. I said it. I think my teacher's brilliant, but I don't necessarily agree. The written word is first and foremost a reflection of the spoken. /blasphemy
Not all linguists would call this blasphemy. There are theoretical frameworks that only consider spoken language legitimate evidence.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2005-02-18 03:32 pm (UTC)Gah. Prescriptive linguistics. I hate it when instructors say such nonsense. For me, linguistics is about the study of language, of how it's usage. If language users use echo question, she can't just dismiss that as incorrect.
There. I said it. I think my teacher's brilliant, but I don't necessarily agree. The written word is first and foremost a reflection of the spoken. /blasphemy
Not all linguists would call this blasphemy. There are theoretical frameworks that only consider spoken language legitimate evidence.