atw: Re: Harumble for Geoffrey Pullum

Although punctuation is a subset of grammar, I've always considered grammar,
punctuation and linguistics to be distinct.  Although language evolves, it
doesn't logically or automatically follow that grammar does, or needs to,
change in step.

Writing style is another beast altogether, and very few people possess it,
which tends to suggest that knowing when to use a semicolon contributes to
accuracy, but helps not a jot with pleasing writing.

Carolyn


On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 10:18 AM, Geoffrey Marnell
<geoffrey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> Daryl,
>
> Your comment "[Pullum's is] a technical textbook and in no wise a
> competitor
> to EOS" is spot on, but a couple of correspondents to the thread assumed
> that it was, and then used the apparently soporific denseness of its prose
> as an argument against Pullum's review of EoS. The style of a writer has
> nothing to do with the truth or otherwise of what the writer writes. A
> critique of the grammar recommendations in EoS was the primary subject
> matter of Pullum's review, and the style of Pullum's writing, whether in
> the
> review itself or in some other of his writings, is utterly irrelevant to
> the
> truth or otherwise of his critique. Argumentum ad hominem.
>
> And just to pre-empt a likely retort: an apparently poor writing style
> (however defined) should not automatically disqualify someone from writing
> about language and writing styles. Do we expect a Professor of Poetry to be
> a great poet? Of course not. It's what the Professor knows about poetry
> that
> is important. Likewise, for every thousand teachers of music, there may be,
> say, two who are or will be noteworthy composers. But that doesn't mean
> that
> the other 998 are not worth paying attention to in matters musical.
>
> What a pity this thread diverged so quickly from what should have been its
> main focus (given that folk like us make our living from language), namely,
> the relevance of prescriptive grammars in a period of accelerating
> linguistic change.
>
> Cheers
>
> Geoffrey Marnell
> Principal Consultant
> Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
> T: +61 3 9596 3456
> F: +61 3 9596 3625
> W: www.abelard.com.au
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Daryl Colquhoun
> Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 11:58 PM
> To: austechwriter list
> Subject: atw: Harumble for Geoffrey Pullum
>
> Howard Silcock says
>  >Looking through the book A Student's Introduction to English Grammar by
> Pullum and Rodney Huddleston, I find it hard to imagine anyone would even
> think of using it to improve their writing. That would be like trying to
> improve your singing ability by studying a music theory book.
>
>
>
> If you want to read something _entertaining_ from Geoffrey Pullum, my
> favourite grammarian*, see his 'The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax and Other
> Irreverent Essays on the Study of Language'. (One of them is called 'Here
> come the linguistic fascists', but despite the promising title, it says
> nothing about so-called split infinitives.)
>
> Or check him out at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/linguafranca/index/.
> Unfortunately the podcasts have gone but you can still read the
> transcripts.
>
> * because he used to be a rock musician
> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ6U-M6e8A) but says
> (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/linguafranca/stories/1998/693377.htm) 'I craved
> excitement. So I turned to grammar.'
>
>
>
> Emails sent to this address are deleted unread as an anti-spam measure.
>
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-- 
Carolyn Hart

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