swot

[Guest guest]

ENGARDE!

 

> If you're speaking of English, then absolutely the "pedigree"

> is of interest. Otherwise it's not "English," is it? It's

> another language, or a variation of the root language:

> American, Australian, New Zealand. The writer is British, so he

> uses British words. What on earth is the problem in an English

> speaking world?

 

My point was that UK vernacular, such as swot, shouldn't get any

special treatment simply because it's British. That would be

snobbery. For us, the important thing is if our audience

understands it. If it is in a UK newspaper, then no problem. If

it is in a book that will sell more copies in countries where

people don't know the word then the fact that it is British

doesn't make it any better.

 

> Besides that, in the paragraph above, you seem to have made

> "slang" and "localised jargon" interchangeable when they're two

 

Sorry, my bad. I think I may have invented "localised jargon".

Sounds like an Americanism, no? I am after all a lackey of the

capitalist running dogs.

 

I changed to slang because it occurred to me that "swot" isn't

jargon (usually meaning technical language or, less commonly,

patois, creoles, and pidgin) at all. How about vernacular?

 

> matter--who don't understand a great number of words. Are we to

> rid the world of these words for their benefit, sterilise the

> language so everyone understands a "standard number" or

 

That's a bit strong isn't it? All I'm suggesting is that we avoid

using vernacular terms that may be meaningless to our readers and

that may not even be in their dictionaries.

 

> > Our main concern is if our readers get it. To that end,

> > American slang (if any slang is to be used in an

> > international publication) is probably safer, only because it

> > is more widely

> > spread.

>

> OK, sorry, but that is downright ridiculous. You're accepting

 

Maybe a little ridiculous. I was just turning the tables on the

snobbery that surrounds British English. They gave us Shakespeare

so any word they invent or steal is okay. But if an American uses

a noun as a verb then they're a Mongol horde desecrating our

sacred mother tongue. Blah!

 

> Again I ask: must we

> sterilise a language to meet the needs of the uneducated and

> uninformed,

 

No.

 

> or should we hold an ever-decreasing faint hope in

> our hearts for education and enlightenment?

 

Swot!

 

Your servant

Lal Krishna Dasa