Author Archives: Ingrid Tieken

Edmund Weiner and English usage guides

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

We probably all know Edmund Weiner  as one of the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary. But he is also the writer of a usage guide: The Oxford Guide to English Usage. The book first came out  in 1983, and … Continue reading →

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Class in British society

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

In relation to my research on John Honey, I’ve decided I need to read more on the British class system. Joan Beal already told me about the discussion on the subject in VariationList (thanks to which I read John Rickford’s … Continue reading →

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Secretary of Dutch Taalunie no fan of Dunglish

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

Anticipating on his talk at the LUCL public event “Wie is de baas over de taal” (Who makes the rules in a language?) next Saturday, Geert Joris wrote in NRC-Handelsblad on Thursday that he dislikes Dunglish. He claims to be … Continue reading →

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Marilyn French and the split infinitive

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

I found another one! And once again in a novel by Marilyn French (1929-2009), this time My Summer with George (1996). The novel is situated in 1991 (p. 236), and it is about the dream of an affair in late middle … Continue reading →

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A blogpoll on ain’t

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

As a follow up to Chloe’s post below on ain’t, I’d be interested in having your feedback in a blog poll as well. So please let us know what you think! (Click on the title to access the blog poll.)

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Pulpitically?

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

I’m currently analysing the entries in Five Hundred Mistakes of Daily Occurrence (1856), one of the earliest Americn usage guides (though not the earliest one, as I thought before), for a paper I’m giving on the topic at the 5th … Continue reading →

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Fuck my grammar, Mary

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

And here is another one from Marilyn French’s Our Father. This time an old chestnut. Mary, the middle one (of the legitimate sisters) is discussing feminism with illegitimate and coloured Ronnie: … As long as women have the babies they will … Continue reading →

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The both of you

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

Prescriptivism in literature or films: I’ve already noted a few examples in this blog. Here is another one. It is from Marilyn French‘s novel Our Father (1994). Alex, the first speaker, is one of the three (or four if you include illegitimate … Continue reading →

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New grammar tests in English schools

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

Marilyn Hedges, one of the readers of this blog, asked me to post the following: Formal grammar teaching in English schools stopped in the 1960s, as Anya Luscombe mentioned in her recent talk in Leiden. It seems as if the … Continue reading →

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Bertie vs. Mr Brown

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Ingrid Tieken

The film Mrs Brown (1997), featuring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly, includes an interesting scene from the point of view of prescriptivism. At one point (ca. 50 minutes into the film), Bertie, the Prince of Wales, addresses the pertinent Mr … Continue reading →

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