Teeth, Braces, and the English Language or Variations there of.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 190321



--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, June Ewing <doctorwhofan02 at ...> wrote:
>
> > ...
> 
> > Steve responds:
> > Yes, if we assume prefect and proper English, but in everyday
> conversation people do not speak in perfect and proper English.
> > In many cases the intentionally use grammatical errors.
> <snip>
> > ....
> 
> 
> June:
> Not everyone uses poor English, why assume they do, you can just
> as easily assume the use good English. I think it is silly to make
> an assumption based on the fact that you don't want something to
> be true. ...
> 
> ... I beleive most writers feel that way and as I said, I have
> seen J.K. Rowling in interviews and she comes across as very 
> educated, so I would not assume that she is using poor grammar
> in her books. Besides, you know what happens when you assume.
>

Steve:

First, I'm not entrenched in any view, I am simply presenting or proposing as POSSIBLE explanation. I leave it to other to confirm or deny that possibility. And Geoff, our resident UK member, seems to have denied the possibility.

But, you are presenting a distorted view here. The 'level' of English we use is very situation dependent. Certainly with authority figure, or in formal settings like school or the office, we use a high class of English than when we are having a casual beer with our friends. There is no need for that level of properness and formality in very casual situations with friends. And, this is even more true among kids than it is with adults. Outside the view of adults, kids use levels and types of language that would make a sailor blush.

There is a reason why common speech is call 'common' and it is not just 'posh' vs 'common'. Common speech is statistically common; everybody does it in the right situation. And there are situational levels and degrees of it. 

Though, I've strayed far off topic. 

Again, I'm not entrenched in that view. I simply proposed it as something I didn't know, but projected that it could be an explanation.

Again, I think the real explanation is that no author, living or dead, ever in their wildest dreams expected or anticipated the level of scrutiny we are giving these books. 

Steve/bboyminn