Let's say that for years, based on you native intuition, you had been telling students that an certain item was not used in a certain registers/text-types/genres. What if, by searching many corpora, you found out that the item in question was actually used and very frequently in such registers/text-types/genres? What would you do? What would be your reaction?
Native discovery
It's no big deal. The English language is far too vast for any single person to have a fully comprehensive knowledge of all its details.
<It's no big deal. The English language is far too vast for any single person to have a fully comprehensive knowledge of all its details. >
I agree, but would you, against the "evidence" from corpora, continue telling student that the item in question is not used in a certain registers/text-types/genres?
I agree, but would you, against the "evidence" from corpora, continue telling student that the item in question is not used in a certain registers/text-types/genres?
An example might be helpful here.
In general, there are lots of dialects of English all over the place with different grammar rules. That's why whenever there's a post here asking whether or not some sentence is "right", I can only answer that it's not the way I'd say it in my particular dialect.
In general, there are lots of dialects of English all over the place with different grammar rules. That's why whenever there's a post here asking whether or not some sentence is "right", I can only answer that it's not the way I'd say it in my particular dialect.
An example of the kind of thing you're referring to would be useful in formulating a response...
La première chose à faire serait de reconnaître son erreur, puis d'en expliquer l'origine objective afin que tous (prof compris) sachent rester humbles et vigilants face aux certitudes trompeuses qui sont le propre de la langue.
Je ne sais plus quelle est la formulation exacte, "Lingua rerum optima et pessima est" ou "Et optima et pessima pars corporis est lingua", mais dans tous les cas la langue est effectivement la meilleure et la pire des choses. La langue maternelle nous est si intime qu'on pense la posséder toute, mais elle est aussi, et surtout, une entité sociale dont des pans entiers nous échappent, à notre insu.
Je ne sais plus quelle est la formulation exacte, "Lingua rerum optima et pessima est" ou "Et optima et pessima pars corporis est lingua", mais dans tous les cas la langue est effectivement la meilleure et la pire des choses. La langue maternelle nous est si intime qu'on pense la posséder toute, mais elle est aussi, et surtout, une entité sociale dont des pans entiers nous échappent, à notre insu.
<<That's why whenever there's a post here asking whether or not some sentence is "right", I can only answer that it's not the way I'd say it in my particular dialect. >>
And what is your particular dialect?
And what is your particular dialect?
***La première chose à faire serait de reconnaître son erreur, puis d'en expliquer l'origine objective afin que tous (prof compris) sachent rester humbles et vigilants face aux certitudes trompeuses qui sont le propre de la langue. ****
Greg
Pourquoi c'est que vous êtes tel un idiot ?
Greg
Pourquoi c'est que vous êtes tel un idiot ?
<<And what is your particular dialect? >>
My dialect is an impure form of US English. I've moved around, so I don't really have a proper regional dialect.
My dialect is an impure form of US English. I've moved around, so I don't really have a proper regional dialect.
<<I'd wonder why Pos and MollyB always post in the same threads. >>
DID? (maybe Pos is an alter, or perhaps MollyB is the alter?)
DID? (maybe Pos is an alter, or perhaps MollyB is the alter?)
Greg... what's the deal? why do you always post in French? You obviously understand English or he wouldn't be responding to the issues in the first place.
<,Greg... what's the deal? why do you always post in French? You obviously understand English or he wouldn't be responding to the issues in the first place. >>
oh yeah, greggy greg knows English
and spanish
and german
(shhhh, he's the devil...)
oh yeah, greggy greg knows English
and spanish
and german
(shhhh, he's the devil...)
<<I'd wonder why Pos and MollyB always post in the same threads. >>
Because we are business colleagues and keep each other informed on forum life.
Because we are business colleagues and keep each other informed on forum life.
Search through the old posts in the archive of this forum and you will actually find greg writing in English, of all things!