Re: Language norms

Posted by Bartholomew on January 19, 2001 at 04:13:55:

In Reply to: Language norms posted by Laurence on January 19, 2001 at 02:04:53:

: The fact is that any language tend to change and alter fast in the absence of any kind of norms. Those are by essence arbitrary, their goal is to keep the language stable. Here in France, this is done through a special institution whose members are elected by their peers and chosen among the brightest scholars. Their function is to look after the dictionnaries and grammar manuals used in schools and institutions. I once took a course on anthropology with a guy from Martinique, he told us how rich and creative the language was there, influenced by much imigration, it is called "creole" and now it has it's own litterature and standards.

Ok, I suppose there are more reasons than just snobbery to create a standard. My definition as I stated it still holds, though - confidence to the extent of willingness to impose language on others does not have to be the result of egotism. It could also be the result of an intellectual effort.

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