This spotted on "Dave Barry's Blog".
"... a dump-truck driver 'dropped more than 59,000 pounds of processed human excrement on Interstate 295' and was charged with 'failure to contain his load.' "
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Is There A Rule?
From time to time I take a trip to a nearby seaside resort town. It's a pretty polyglot place, with visitors from every known continwnt; perhaps also from continents-yet-to-be-discovered.
But that's a topic for the future.
This is about signage, those ubiquitous devices posted on every vertical surface, it seems, in the world. Or perhaps this is really about language. About grammar even; if there really is such a beast.
The particular sign that triggered my interest said "Teeth Whitening". I recalled that I have also seen signs in this town saying "Eyes Testing". These signs are wrong! Maybe not wrong; perhaps just a little off-center. What's confusing me is that the phrases can be made correct just by modifying either word. Should "Eyes Testing" really be "Eyes Tested", or should it perhaps be "Eye Testing"?
Is there some micro-rule of English grammar regarding plurals and participles? Or is this a particular instantiation of some more global rule? Whatever the rule is, isn't it kind of silly? After all, that which once was wrong is now right, and at sometime in the future will be wrong again.
Or, is it just me - wasting my limited bandwidth on some absurd James Kilpatric-esque issue?
With all the oddities I keep running into - and not just in English - I'm beginning to believe that there is really no such thing as rules-of-grammar; all language is colloquial. That's spoken language of course. Written language has no lack of rules whatsoever.
As an aside: I find many people (especially my students) are surprised when I inform them that speaking came before writing. Soon after writing came, of course, reading. Listening will likely be discovered very soon now; except on cable TV news.
But that's a topic for the future.
This is about signage, those ubiquitous devices posted on every vertical surface, it seems, in the world. Or perhaps this is really about language. About grammar even; if there really is such a beast.
The particular sign that triggered my interest said "Teeth Whitening". I recalled that I have also seen signs in this town saying "Eyes Testing". These signs are wrong! Maybe not wrong; perhaps just a little off-center. What's confusing me is that the phrases can be made correct just by modifying either word. Should "Eyes Testing" really be "Eyes Tested", or should it perhaps be "Eye Testing"?
Is there some micro-rule of English grammar regarding plurals and participles? Or is this a particular instantiation of some more global rule? Whatever the rule is, isn't it kind of silly? After all, that which once was wrong is now right, and at sometime in the future will be wrong again.
Or, is it just me - wasting my limited bandwidth on some absurd James Kilpatric-esque issue?
With all the oddities I keep running into - and not just in English - I'm beginning to believe that there is really no such thing as rules-of-grammar; all language is colloquial. That's spoken language of course. Written language has no lack of rules whatsoever.
As an aside: I find many people (especially my students) are surprised when I inform them that speaking came before writing. Soon after writing came, of course, reading. Listening will likely be discovered very soon now; except on cable TV news.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Just As An Aside...
I've added a link to 
over on the sidebar. They claim to offer over 90 thousand free eBooks. With the cost of books these days, and the space they take up, I think it's worth a look.
Happy Browsing!
over on the sidebar. They claim to offer over 90 thousand free eBooks. With the cost of books these days, and the space they take up, I think it's worth a look.Happy Browsing!
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