Arnold Zwicky (whose class last summer was the inspiration for this blog, by the way) has a killer post on Language Log right now. His key point is twofold, complete with two catchy mottos: “Crazies win” and “Don’t let crazies win”. Crazies, in this particular context, are people who demand that you do grammar their way. People who thumb their noses at those who split infinitives. People who call those who interchangeably use that and which ill-educated morons. You get the idea. Many crazies are unabashed about it, wrapping themselves in stoles of “grammar snobbery”, which is for some reason considered a good thing to them. And, because of how obnoxiously they impose their unfounded grammatical beliefs, they win — other people start believing that infinitives can’t be split and “over” and “more than” mean different things. (Hence the “crazies win”.)
The key question Zwicky raises and struggles with is “what should grammar advice be, in light of the crazies?” Should you tell students not to split infinitives because there are ill-informed ignorami out there who would fault them for it? I think he’s right when he details the position he’s come to:
“After many years of wrestling with this question — I’d tell students that there were many people who viewed split infinitives as just wrong, and some who were lunatic on the matter, so they might want to take that into consideration — I’ve decided that the best advice is just to go ahead and do what seems natural to you. There are much more important things to worry about in this life, and if you think you can satisfy the tastes of everyone who reads what you write or hears what you say, you’re doomed”
I’ll drink to that. (Jealously, of course, as he’s put it better than I’d've put it.) Grammar prescriptions should be about the big things, not the minutiae, and they should be well-justified. Unless you have a darn good reason for claiming that something is “bad grammar”, let it go. Those who actually study language understand this, but are too often content to just ignore the crazies. That’s how the crazies win. We need to take the crazies to task as much as they take the rest of us to task. Drown their sound and fury in a deluge of reason and historical usage. Don’t just let them win. (Hence the “don’t let crazies win”.)
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May 14, 2008 at 12:29 pm
mike
This is also close to home for those of us in the editing biz, which has its share of crazies. In a professional scenario, the editor or editors will have thought through the rules that they want to impose and enforce, and for the most part they will have a reason for doing so that takes into account the context and (especially) the eventual reader. If for some reason one is producing text that is going straight into the hands of crazies who will (for example) cancel your big account with them because of those split infinitives, why then by all means one should fold this knowledge into the style guide.
There is plenty of grammar to teach that will truly help students whose ultimate goal is clear, and possibly even elegant, expression. And a well-prepared writer will be aware of areas of “grammar” — and you really do have to use quotation marks around the term for some of these issues — that are controversial, and why they are so, and who might care. That writer is then prepared to make a decision on their (<-ha) own about how to proceed when such issues are encountered.
Point being (I think I have one) is that it’s like knowing the dress code for going to the opera, let’s say. It’s good to know what other people’s expectations might be, even if you consciously decide to wear shorts and flip-flops. What you don’t want is to be oblivious to the dress code, show up in inappropriate clothes, and then have someone point out to you later that everyone thought you were a rube and was laughing at you behind your back.
May 14, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Gustaf Redemo
Another field to consider the crazies is when you learn or teach a foreign language. I’m from Sweden and have learnt a few other languages, as well taught some foreigners about my own.
Especially teaching is good since, first I’m not a professional language teacher but an aficionado, this has made me think a whole lot about Swedish and prickled my ears to rights and wrongs. What has turned out is that most people talk in so so grammar. But that doesn’t mean that I should teach or learn a laissez faire way.
With time that confidence comes which allows you to improvise and go in to the mine fields. This comes to natives as well since how far you allow yourself to walk outside the boundaries has more to do with your own knowledge of the language and the self confidence you have, than actual right and wrongs.
May 15, 2008 at 12:30 am
Gabe
You both make excellent points. Mike, you are definitely are better off knowing that if you use a certain form people may regard you dismissively — whether or not they are justified in doing so. And Gustaf, you are correct that language learners young and old can probably benefit from being taught an artificially restrictive grammar until they get their sea legs. Different audiences benefit from different information. That’s why I find this to be such an interesting question — and an important one for this blog, since different audiences lead to different grammatical suggestions.