3 ms·

I can't stand English language purists. It is akin to xenophobic Americans: comically hypocritical. If so makes conversation easier, what's the harm? That you

• coldtea 11y ago
  >I can't stand English language purists. It is akin to xenophobic Americans: comically hypocritical. Not that I agree with either group, but it's not exactly hypocritical what they say. Saying X is bad while yourself adopting it would indeed be hypocritical. But saying X is OK up to your (or your generation), but bad if it continues is merely selfish or conservative. It's more like them saying "it stops here", is in the first case "selfish" (since they're in, but want others out) and in the second case "conservative" (since they inherited an impure language, but want to stop it from evolving), but not necessarily hypocritical. It's not illogical either: just because something started as "X" ("a nation of immigrants" for America, "an impure mix of words and linguistic influence" for the English language) it's not a logical necessity that it should continue to be so ad infinitum.