You've seen me quote June Casagrande on this blog before. She is a fountain of knowledge and the best little grammar researcher I know. Here is one of her humor pieces I thought you'd a. enjoy and b. get lots from. Thank you for guesting, June!
Dictionaries Gone Wild
By June Casagrande
Webster's New World College Dictionary does not contain the word "McJob." American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language's fourth edition doesn't have it, either. Merriam-Webster does.
Webster's New World does not contain the term "air quotes." American Heritage doesn't have "air quotes." Merriam-Webster does.
Webster's New World does not list "dead presidents" as a synonym for money. American Heritage doesn't, either. Merriam-Webster does.
Webster's New World does not list "accidently" as an alternate spelling of "accidentally." American Heritage does, which surprises me. But Merriam-Webster's choice to report this spelling does not.
Webster's New World doesn't list "Frankenfood." Neither does American Heritage. Merriam-Webster does.
In the introduction to his 2005 Dictionary of Disagreeable English, "grumbling grammarian" Robert Hartwell Fiske examines Merriam-Webster's judgment, as reflected in its 11th collegiate edition, to make two points: 1. that dictionaries need to be more prescriptivist and less descriptivist, and 2. that Merriam-Webster are attention whores.
His first point is hogwash. But his second point is dead on.
Fiske and I would not hit it off at a cocktail party. Fiske hates language liberals, of which I'm one. But my liberalism has its limits. There's a difference between free love and prostitution. And Merriam-Webster's ability to make the NBC Nightly News website has "toot toot, hey, beep beep" written all over it.
I don't have in hand a copy of whatever press release Merriam might have used to score this segment on the home page of a nationally respected news program. But based on my experience receiving and sending press releases, I'd bet dollars to donuts that it touted some of Merriam's quirky, "fun," headline-grabbing new additions.
Fiske says of Merriam-Webster's approach: "It's a marketing strategy. It's not lexicography." I agree. A lot of people might ask, "What's wrong with that?" I have an answer.
Imagine you're the sweet, slightly mousy wallflower who has decided to try speed dating amid friends' assurances of, "Just be yourself. Guys will see how great you are." And imagine you get there and see that one of the other women is wearing a soaking-wet cropped T-shirt and starting every conversation by singing a few bars of "Do You Think I'm a Nasty Girl?"
You may not try speed dating again, but if you did, you'd definitely slap on some mascara first.
When dictionary-making takes its marketing strategy to Girls Gone Wild extremes, they lower the bar for all dictionaries.
Yes, dictionaries should be descriptivist. They should document how people use the language. But at the same time they must bear in mind the responsibility that comes with the job. Once they "document" a usage, they have, inadvertently or not, sanctioned it.
This is a responsibility that, before we reached the apex of our our cola-wars culture, they handled quite well. But with Merriam-Webster setting the terms of the competition, that may not be the case much longer.
Merriam-Webster seems to operate on a, "Hey, we're just reporting it, we're not saying it's right" philosophy. But they know perfectly well that, inadvertently, they are saying it's right. They should stop cheating and get back in the ring with the serious lexicographers who compete for our dollars by aspiring to quality through editorial and academic integrity.
-------
June Casagrande is author of Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs -- Even If You're Right. She blogs at www.ConjugateVisits.blogspot.com.
Technorati Tags:
june casagrande, mortal syntax, grammar snobs are great big meanies, carolyn howard-johnson, the frugal editor, dictionaries, meriam-webster, American Heritage, 2005 Dictionary of Disagreeable English, robert hartwell fiske,
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com, where writes will find lists and other helps on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog.
Gremlins out there are determined to keep your work from being published, your book from being promoted. They are resolved to embarrass you before the gatekeepers who can turn the key of success for you. Whether you are a new or experienced author, you need the multi award-winning "The Frugal Editor." It won USA Book News Award, Reader Views Literary Award, and was a finalist in the New Generations Award.
Showing posts with label mortal syntax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mortal syntax. Show all posts
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Funny, Funny English and Where To Go To Tickle Your Funny Bone
What can I tell you. I love grammar columns. I'm not so crazy about straight old grammar books but most columns contain a little (or a lot) of humor. Even my Frugal Editor has a little. But June Casagrande of Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies and Moral Syntax is my favorite for funny. Even above William Safire.
So here are her top online dictionaries, www.dictionary.com, www.barteleby.com and www.m-w.com. And the biggest secret straight from her "A Word Please" column (syndicated in the Glendale News-Press, an LA Times newspaper) is:
www.grammaruntied.com
She says for basic grammar this Web site is user-friendly, beginner-friendly and well-organized. I say it is good, but not funny. At least not any funnier than I find English in general. Still, it's a good place to go with your questions.
My advice for information and funny, read June's books first!
Technorati Tags:
june casagrande, mortal syntax, grammar snobs are great big meanies, the frugal editor, carolyn howard-johnson, best online dictionaries, best basic grammar web sites, a word please, glendale news-press, la times, humor in grammar, humor columns, william safire,
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com, where writes will find lists and other helps on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog.
So here are her top online dictionaries, www.dictionary.com, www.barteleby.com and www.m-w.com. And the biggest secret straight from her "A Word Please" column (syndicated in the Glendale News-Press, an LA Times newspaper) is:
www.grammaruntied.com
She says for basic grammar this Web site is user-friendly, beginner-friendly and well-organized. I say it is good, but not funny. At least not any funnier than I find English in general. Still, it's a good place to go with your questions.
My advice for information and funny, read June's books first!
Technorati Tags:
june casagrande, mortal syntax, grammar snobs are great big meanies, the frugal editor, carolyn howard-johnson, best online dictionaries, best basic grammar web sites, a word please, glendale news-press, la times, humor in grammar, humor columns, william safire,
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com, where writes will find lists and other helps on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
"A Way" vs. "Away": Enough to Make an Editor Dizzy
Recently a friend of mine (who was once my teacher!) corrected my grammar/typo/boo-boo on one of my blogs.
When someone in authority does that, one (meaning me!) may lose confidence in one's own expertise/talent/brilliance. (-: So I double-checked with my grammar guru, June Casagrande, author of Mortal Syntax and Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies (www.junecasagrande.com). You know. Because I was sure I was right but when a teacher tells you something...well...
And situations like this were the inspirations for June's books--that so much opinion that goes around is downright wrong, or at least not a full-out, never-to-be broken rule!
The "error" in question was "a way." I had used it as a noun with its article. My former teacher wanted me to push the words together into "away" which would have made it into an adverb. Just in case a similar thing happens to you, here's the straight dope:
a way: noun
away: adverb
Both are correct, but only if you slot them into the right place in your sentence. But you knew that. Maybe she did, too. She was only trying to help, after all.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.
When someone in authority does that, one (meaning me!) may lose confidence in one's own expertise/talent/brilliance. (-: So I double-checked with my grammar guru, June Casagrande, author of Mortal Syntax and Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies (www.junecasagrande.com). You know. Because I was sure I was right but when a teacher tells you something...well...
And situations like this were the inspirations for June's books--that so much opinion that goes around is downright wrong, or at least not a full-out, never-to-be broken rule!
The "error" in question was "a way." I had used it as a noun with its article. My former teacher wanted me to push the words together into "away" which would have made it into an adverb. Just in case a similar thing happens to you, here's the straight dope:
a way: noun
away: adverb
Both are correct, but only if you slot them into the right place in your sentence. But you knew that. Maybe she did, too. She was only trying to help, after all.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Grammar Meanies, Grammar Pals, Modals and Understanding What Comes Naturally
I am a June Casagrande's fan. She is the author of Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies and Mortal Syntax: 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs--Even If You're Right. (Both are published by Penguin.)
I , ahem...found her -- yes I did. Sitting at the back of my UCLA class a couple of years ago, her long blonde hair a dead giveaway 'cause she looked just like the picture of her in the column she writes that is printed in my hometown newspaper, the Glendale News-Press.
Hey, what a resource! Couldn't let that one get away. Since then she has been a guest lecturer for my class and, of course, the source of grammar ideas galore. This week she talks about modals.
Now that's a subject rarely addressed. And, although I don't like to use grammar words that elicit yawns from the masses any more the June or Boyd do, there are times when they help understanding. That, after all, is what words are for. In this case, I think it helps to have something to call these little guys. Modals, that is.
Modals are words like "may," "might," "could," "should," "can," "shall," "will," and, June's favorite (it seems) "must." There is a sub category of marginal modals and they are "ought to," "used to," and "need."
Most of us think of these guys as simply helping verbs that help express tense but these modal guys are a little different. Here's a quote from June's column (which, by the way, is always humorous to help keep her audience from nodding off) that will help you know what they do:
"A modal's job is either 'to refer to some kind of human control over the situations such as permission or obligations,' or to 'refer to some kind of judgement of the truth value of propositions, such as its possibility or necessity.'" She takes issue with the human part which came from the Oxford English Grammar, pointing out that a horse "can" run fast and "may" win the race and, that, she supposes "may" be without any real "control" from a human but rather have more to do with the will of the horse.
Ahhh, English. Isn't it wonderful?
So, why does anyone care? Darned if I know but you might impress an editor you want to argue a case with at some point. And that isn't all bad.
Oh, and if English isn't your first language, the use of these modals may not all as self-evident as native speakers take them to be. In which case, a native speaker may be very, very grateful to understand that there do seem to be differences between them and auxiliary verbs after all, that she is not completely out of her gourd for having noticed (or for having trouble with them!) after all.
BTW, you "can" reach June a JuneTCN@aol.com.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits and consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.
I , ahem...found her -- yes I did. Sitting at the back of my UCLA class a couple of years ago, her long blonde hair a dead giveaway 'cause she looked just like the picture of her in the column she writes that is printed in my hometown newspaper, the Glendale News-Press.
Hey, what a resource! Couldn't let that one get away. Since then she has been a guest lecturer for my class and, of course, the source of grammar ideas galore. This week she talks about modals.
Now that's a subject rarely addressed. And, although I don't like to use grammar words that elicit yawns from the masses any more the June or Boyd do, there are times when they help understanding. That, after all, is what words are for. In this case, I think it helps to have something to call these little guys. Modals, that is.
Modals are words like "may," "might," "could," "should," "can," "shall," "will," and, June's favorite (it seems) "must." There is a sub category of marginal modals and they are "ought to," "used to," and "need."
Most of us think of these guys as simply helping verbs that help express tense but these modal guys are a little different. Here's a quote from June's column (which, by the way, is always humorous to help keep her audience from nodding off) that will help you know what they do:
"A modal's job is either 'to refer to some kind of human control over the situations such as permission or obligations,' or to 'refer to some kind of judgement of the truth value of propositions, such as its possibility or necessity.'" She takes issue with the human part which came from the Oxford English Grammar, pointing out that a horse "can" run fast and "may" win the race and, that, she supposes "may" be without any real "control" from a human but rather have more to do with the will of the horse.
Ahhh, English. Isn't it wonderful?
So, why does anyone care? Darned if I know but you might impress an editor you want to argue a case with at some point. And that isn't all bad.
Oh, and if English isn't your first language, the use of these modals may not all as self-evident as native speakers take them to be. In which case, a native speaker may be very, very grateful to understand that there do seem to be differences between them and auxiliary verbs after all, that she is not completely out of her gourd for having noticed (or for having trouble with them!) after all.
BTW, you "can" reach June a JuneTCN@aol.com.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits and consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)