I outdid myself. With a little imagination I hope it was clear that I meant the beginning of the end of the old way of life, which was already quite underway, and was perhaps reflected linguistically. Later, said the latter alligator. > Okay, so why this movie and why now? Is there precedent? If you are of > the persuasion that life happens in a vacuum, that things just pop up on > their own, then that will settle the issue. > > For David Ritchie, I like the explanation, sort of a 1970's reverse > snobbery. Usually the lower classes emulate the upper (sumptuary laws for > example). I wonder if in fact the upper classes picking up linguistic > mannerisms (a linguistic mannerism) of the lower classes is one more way in > which the end of the 19th century paralleled the changes of a century > latter. I wonder too if that doesn't mark the end of the beginning of the > way we live now? WWI is generally credited with destroying the old order, > but the Industrial Revolution had been in full swing for a while to that > point. Too much sitting on one little word? > ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html