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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> extropy-chat [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Anders Sandberg<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, September 16, 2015 1:48 PM<br><b>To:</b> extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] silly 'rules'<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On 2015-09-16 21:41, Dan wrote:<br><br><o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>>>…</span>Most of this seems complaining about arbitrary rules that have little to do with communication<span style='color:#1F497D'>…</span> Yet they continue to be passed along as if they were rational and objective.<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br><span style='color:#1F497D'>>…</span>It is the ancient feud between prescriptivists and descriptivists. Fuelled by the fact that correcting grammar shows off your (high status) education, and allows you to reduce the uneducated other guy<span style='color:#1F497D'>…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>OK cool, it does have that value. I often find it useful to whack some yahoo without physical injury of any kind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Regarding ancient feuds between prescriptivists and descriptivists, like any feud, both sides have their value and contributions. As with a two-party political system, it is educational to try to discover what good things each party has to offer and take the good while rejecting the bad.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Consider the prescriptivists and descriptivists (Ps and Ds.) I see some really useful contributions by the Ps: they help standardize language to make it easier to understand. I see that the Ds contribute simplicity to language, allowing margin for usage rather than requiring additional study. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>Simplifying language is good, but it comes at a price. The Ps would argue that if we pay attention to grammar, we sound more like the mellifluous Shakespeare, or the brilliant PT Wodehouse. The Ds would argue that simplification of language reduces the required training load. A Ps language might converge towards an Orwellian Newspeak. This has its advantages, but certainly lacks the beauty of a Shakespearean sonnet. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>A middle upper ground I prefer is the grammatical libertarian: simplicity is good, standardization is also good, decry neither, but try for as much of both as can be achieved. Use language as a playground at every opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre></div></body></html>