Is there an absolute correct English language, or is it ever-changing?

1 Answer

Answer :

Well, with the example you gave, both “fish” and “fishes” are correct. Fish can refer to a plural form of one type of fish (“I went salmon fishing and caught a lot of fish”), but “fishes” is the plural form or many different kinds of fish (“There are many fishes in the ocean”). “Fishes” or “crabs” didn’t arise because of misuse, they are words in themselves. Alright, rant aside. I agree with you, to a point. Language does evolve, so there are many instances where terms and grammar may be correct, but were not so 100 years ago. But there are some things I can never accept as “acceptable”. For example: disorientated. That’s not a word. I don’t care if it is in dictionaries, it is awful.

Related questions

Description : If the Queens English is changing, can we all just agree that there is no such thing as proper English?

Last Answer : I think you just have to look at me to know what proper English is. *chortle Language does change over time. I wouldn't go about asking you Howe art thou? and Faire thee well would I ... Anyway, that was proper English, what we have now is proper English, and there will always be proper English.

Description : Have you observed this English language issue?

Last Answer : haven’t seen it

Description : English question about correct word usage.

Last Answer : answer: Have is a verb. Using it or not will change the meaning of your sentence. Using the third example - You can sell arms without using them. This implies that while one might sell guns, they don't often ... The verb in the first is use . In the second, it's have , or more accurately, need

Description : English: which is correct 'Twenty more minutes' or 'Twenty minutes more'?

Last Answer : They’re both fine.

Description : English question- Correct usage of words.

Last Answer : What is right and wrong always depends on the context. If people who communicate with you use it, then it’s probably safe to use it when you communicate with them.

Description : Would you correct my English?

Last Answer : At this point in your editing process, this looks pretty good. When you first submitted it, it was fairly confusing to read. If you resubmit it now, it will likely get re-posted.

Description : English Grammar- What is the correct pronoun to refer to 'family'?

Last Answer : answer:Read the best answer for this yahoo post: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061101113028AANVwIx Is it really correct? It sounds very awkward using ‘it’ to refer to a family.

Description : Is "how does it look like?" correct English?

Last Answer : Incorrect.

Description : Have you ever created your own language?

Last Answer : answer:I did when I was a youngster, age 10 or younger. The structure was essentially basic English grammar with invented vocabulary substituted for ordinary English words. It wasn't enough that I ... attempting something more like what Tolkien was up to, correct? But it isn't altogether unrelated.

Description : How common are these grammatical errors in English-speaking countries besides the US?

Last Answer : Grammatical mistakes and idioms differ by country and region. So other English-speaking countries have their own quirks, a few of which overlap, and others don't. (Also, in general, ... most-grammatically-correct speakers, also because of the popularization of slang, and the anti-intellectualism.)

Description : Should double negative in English become recognized formally?

Last Answer : This is like asking should we make driving the wrong way down a one way street legal? Ain’t not gonna happen.

Description : Do you native English speakers use Future Perfect?

Last Answer : I would use it if it were appropriate. I can't say, Oh yes, I used it a week ago on Monday, but I have used that tense at times in the past. Of course, I know ... things in everyday conversation. I find that other native speakers understand me when I use formally, grammatically correct English.

Description : What is the most accurate English Dictionary?

Last Answer : Dictionary.com is my favorite. One of the reasons I especially like it because it contains the word iff.

Description : How would you explain the uses of "that" in English, or the uses of the gerund, in a comprehensive way?

Last Answer : answer:That That is a great word. It has so many uses. The best way would be to explain it in terms of parts of speech. That can be a pronoun, adjective, adverb, or conjunction. 1. Pronoun ... walking. (Object) 3. We always talk about walking, but we never do it (object of preposition), etc.

Description : English grammar question: is this right even though it sounds wrong?

Last Answer : Were turning to the left. .. is what I would say.

Description : Is there a rule of thumb in English for which of two equivalent contractions to use [see examples]?

Last Answer : no rule that I can remember. The contraction at the front of the sentence tempts me to guess that you’re an engineer or technical writer. Funny, but I don’t think it would occur to me to state “I’ve not” instead of “I haven’t”. Are you fluent in other languages?

Description : Help with English text?

Last Answer : “Herein” might replace “hereto”.

Description : English question about singular countable nouns and countable nouns?

Last Answer : answer:Uncountable abstract nouns can be used as countable nouns in the partitive, which is used to denote a subset of something. A knowledge of English is the partitive. It means a kind or ... is countable has nothing to do with whether you can measure it. It is just a grammatical property.

Description : Help me with this English homework.

Last Answer : answer:#2 doesn't make sense, because the training doesn't test the product, it's the skills learned while being trained that help us when we test the product. #1 The same problem as #2, it is ... . The in is not redundant, it preposes the subject as using the training in the process of testing.

Description : What is it called when an English speaker drops the "the" before "hospital"?

Last Answer : It just means that they're speaking English English. There's nothing particularly normative about the way we Americans say it, it's just a difference and fairly standard over there. (In addition, they say, When I ... university or even uni as opposed to the way we say, When I was in college. )

Description : What's the reason for the enclosed English grammar usage?

Last Answer : “Were” is the subjunctive mood of “to be.”

Description : English question about conditionals (Details inside).

Last Answer : answer: If I were believing won't work. If I believed in God, I would be called a theist. (No as in any the answers.) If I were to believe in God, I would be called a theist also is ... your question. Correct is an adjective here and modifies I. You have a great day too (omit ahead. )

Description : English sentence explanation?

Last Answer : It would help if we knew that “this” is.

Description : Does English grammar really matter?

Last Answer : answer:Yes, it matters for clarity and precision in meaning. But if English is not your native language and you’re still working on it then we’ll certainly make allowances and try to clarify things we need to understand when responding. I’ve been working on it for over half a century now.

Description : Need help on this English question.

Last Answer : answer:Too many for one question. “Always ride your bike slowly…“Slowly is an adverb that modifies the verb “ride.” “I am a slow reader.” “Slow” is an adjective that modifies the pronoun, “I.”

Description : Could this be true regarding English and Composition classes?

Last Answer : Your friend is full of shit.

Description : English grammar question involving conditional tense.

Last Answer : Am…..you’re speaking in the present tense.

Description : Speakers of other languages: do you notice as much incorrect and ignorant use of those languages (please name them) by native speakers as you hear and see among native speakers of English?

Last Answer : answer:I have always said of myself in my feeble attempts at best at being multilingual… “I can screw up grammar, syntax, and punctuation in about 6 languages.” Especially english, which is my native language.

Description : If you're going to make a novel, do you really need deep English words to construct one?

Last Answer : But I really think my friend is only trying to make me feel worried..

Description : Nitpicky English grammar question.

Last Answer : “People should think more,” is a good compromise. But the first sentence is utterly correct, and would only confuse someone who is not a human.

Description : English lovers and those who enjoy editing, would you mind helping me with this?

Last Answer : We dedicate ourselves to serving you with carefully crafted fare made from the freshest ingredients. The vast majority of our ingredients are either organic, pesticide free, sustainably sourced, cruelty free, local ... and fat, and we work only with extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, and butter.

Description : Why do non-native English speakers sometimes omit articles?

Last Answer : I think your theory is correct one.

Description : Can you help me with these English sentences and tenses?

Last Answer : answer:Don't open the box if the seal has been broken. Is basically the same meaning, either can be used in this case; has been or is. The second sentence is more tricky. The sentence ... been resolved, is correct also. I am American, there might be subtle differences with British English possibly.

Description : How can I improve my English spelling and grammar?

Last Answer : answer:It's just a start, but you could head over to http://www.babbel.com/ (http://es.babbel.com/ for Spanish translation) It's free, and has many courses (including English ones). It's how I ... The only way to get perfect at English is to immerse yourself in it and strictly speak it for a while.

Description : Why do people often not use capital letters when writing modern English?

Last Answer : I believe it leaked over from computing where email addresses and URLs are lower case.

Description : Is teaching English (parts of a sentence, etc.) really all that important?

Last Answer : Yes. Learn it so that you can speak and write correctly.

Description : What do you think will happen to English in the next 30-40 years?

Last Answer : The way we communicate throughout the world already dooms us to the same language, English is sure to be the world language of the future. Unless aliens invade and decide to make us slaves and speak their language trough grunts and snarls.

Description : What's a good english word that means busy yet empty?

Last Answer : Politician? I doubt that there is a single word to convey your meaning – not one that I can recall. You might have to settle for a phrase. There are lots of those.

Description : Does writing improve ones english?

Last Answer : From what I’ve read, or questions that are posted here when it comes to improving english, the suggestions are to practice it constantly. Please give me a random topic to talk about. And I shall type in what I would say in english

Description : English grammar question regarding ellipses?

Last Answer : Ellipsis Scroll down until you reach the paragraph that discusses how the Chicago Manual of Style (a book you should own) suggests you use…in formal text.

Description : Who were the first humans to identify language forms and develop rules in grammar?

Last Answer : Language and language structures pre-date history. (One cannot have a hsitory to share without a way to communicate it). And there are disaprate structures and rules that arose ... groups and regions developed in isolation. Similarities only arose through trade and interaction with neighbors.

Description : What language mistakes bug you most?

Last Answer : answer:English is an ever-evolving language. Just because fort used to be the only correct pronunciation of forte does not mean it still is. Indeed, at least one dictionary flat out ... ˈfɔrtɛ/[fawr-te]. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

Description : Did you create your own language? How far did you get?

Last Answer : answer:I invented Pig Latin. ou’reyay elcomeway It kind caught on but was never the big money maker I had hoped it would be. how do you charge for use of a language?

Description : Does American Sign Language have "passive voice"?

Last Answer : in one of my classes, there was a deaf girl who could understand the aggressiveness of the voice by other features such as the eyes or shaking of the head, or even the movement of the hands while doing sign language. sign language isnt exclusively with the hands.

Description : If you created your own language, would you style it after any in particular? What would you call it?

Last Answer : answer:Interesting you mention that about Tolkien because Welsh has a Scandinavian tone to me when I hear it. When I was in Wales last year, I pointed this out to the guide and she didn't ... question, though, my language would have to be styled after Klingon because it is so expressive when spoken.

Description : From which language do you think this was translated?

Last Answer : Pirate?

Description : Is the use of "have eaten" correct in this sentence?

Last Answer : have not

Description : What is the correct way to affirm a question that contains a negative?

Last Answer : That's a a good question, and one that confuses new comers to North America (I don't know if it's all English speaking or just in North America) who are thinking Yes, you're right, I don't ... guess an English teacher would say No is correct, but I've never read or heard about what is correct.

Description : Which one is the correct term from these?

Last Answer : All are appropriate. It depends on what train is being described. The train of a dress may be huge or it may be big. A railway train for the old Ringling Bros. Circus could be described as huge . ... NEbraska and hundreds fo cars long would be such a long train , even though it isn't huge .

Description : Is valley girl accent grammatically correct?

Last Answer : If a foreigner spoke like that, I’d be confused, thinking they must either think they’re being funny or they must think this is appropriate to speak this way, even though nobody else does.