[Gllug] plurals

[Dylan]

On Thursday 19 June 2003 16:35, Daniel Ahrens wrote:
> > > English grammar at shool), the rule that dictates 'if I were ....'
> > > as opposed to 'I was....' ?
> >
> > The word "subjunctive" springs to mind ...
> >
> >Indeed, this is a subjunctive usage.  However, AFAIK it is (originally) a
> >US-ism.
>
> Uuuuh... ooohhh.. I don't think it is that simple. If you listen to East
> Enders (East End of London) speak (not the ones on the telly, the real
> ones) they regularly employ:
>
> We was...

Indeed, _was_ is making the final steps towards being the only past form of BE 
- a process which started over 600 years ago, and is already complete for 
every other verb in the language. Similarly, _is_ is becomming the only 
present form, or at least seems to be - and the 3rd person form in general is 
spreading to the other persons.

>
>
> I were...

In what context?

>
>
> Language is a dynamic entity that does not conform well to rules. It's like
> music: people invented and played a variety of instruments first and then
> invented the rules for them (eg. harmonics, chords etc). It's the same in
> any language: grammar rules are formed after the fact and not before.
> That's why for me personally trying to tie down one usage of certain words,
> sentences etc. has to end in failure, because you cannot halt the march of
> history and time.

In both cases, 'discovered' is more accurate than 'invented'.

>
> I will bet a million bucks that a thousand years from now the English that
> we speak nowadays (regardless if it's Oxford or Webster, who cares) won't
> be spoken then. (That is if we haven't blown ourselves up by then).

150 years even...

> Personally I think leaving languages to develop on their own is more
> reasonable than to constantly try and interfere with the development
> process by saying that one thing is correcter than another (thereby trying
> to arrest a dynamic process), when it can't be.

Just remember that Chaucer and Shakespeare (among many others) were lambasted 
in their time for degrading the language.

Dylan

-- 
Sweet moderation
Heart of this nation
Desert us not
We are between the wars
- Billy Bragg

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