Posted: Oct 16, 2012 5:02 pm
The_Metatron wrote:The only thing I'd say to that is that I don't think those rules that exist can be changed by fiat of individuals, either.
It's interesting enough to discuss the flexibility of the rules of grammar in any particular language. Until you try to flaunt those rules in academia or business and you see how for it gets you.
People do flaunt them in academia, though, as well as in business. Every day! It is just that they generally flaunt rules that have not attracted any significant ire in the public sphere, so no one cares to notice.
Here, really, the inverse of "you get what you measure for" applies: if you keep looking for singular they, split infinitives and double negatives, you'll be blind to all other flaunting that keeps happening all around you as people whose flauntings happen to be less often complained about fly under the radar.