Re: Missing Singulars

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott" <BMScott@...> wrote:

>
> At 3:40:00 PM on Friday, December 19, 2008, Andrew Jarrette
> wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > Well, we live in free societies with freedom of speech, so
> > people can speak any way they want, including saying
> > "irregardless" or "I could care less".  I think Piotr is
> > referring to correct English usage, and in this respect I
> > agree with what he has said.
>
> *Whose* correct English usage? To take one of your
> examples, 'I could care less' is undoubtedly correct English
> usage for a great many people, probably a majority of U.S.
> speakers, silly as it may sound to some of us.
>
> Brian
>

By your argument we are all correct whatever we say, even if logically
it doesn't make sense. You lean towards the "anything goes"
descriptive attitude, while I lean to the prescriptive ideal. I
suppose as long as one can understand it, then you regard it as
acceptable English. Well, I was using the phrase "in English one
says", and I usually understand that to mean what is considered
proper, not fashionable or popular. Am I wrong to understand it in
this way? For popular English I would use the phrase "in English one
hears" or "in English one can say". Is my attitude the wrong attitude?

Andrew