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> > In a message dated 10/2/98 12:33:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, tek-dk@us*.ne* > writes: > > << > OK, Mark Twain MAY have been a great writer but a (great) linguist he was > not! >> > > actually, somewhere in a collection of his letters he has a very funny bit on > reading foreign language papers schematically .....this word looks like, so it > must mean.....etc etc, > > but, grammar, or the codification of language---kind of like the on going > attempt at codification of dive practices--does make life easier..... Certainly, this is true. However, I imagine that most english speakers are amused by the efforts of the Academe Francaise to enforce a rigidity on the french language that ignores the fact that common usage defines the language rather than the language defining common usage. -John -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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