• w2tpmf@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    10
    ·
    11 months ago

    Yes, thousands of years of established language development is wrong … not the individual who is unable to learn what millions of others have been able to.

    • CileTheSane
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      11 months ago

      Yes, thousands of years of established language development is wrong

      Yes, it is. Island has an ‘s’ in it as a stylistic choice to Latinize a word that has no Latin root. Literally is now defined as “not literally” which is absurd. That’s established language development.

      If people keep using “it’s” as possessive then it will become possessive, and nothing will be lost.

      • Leg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        11 months ago

        Language sticklers are an interesting phenomenon to me. Language has always evolved with its users. The only rule is that we understand each other when we use it, and that rule allows massive flexibility. Watching it evolve in real-time is more fun than trying to police someone for using an apostrophe.

        • CileTheSane
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          11 months ago

          Language sticklers are an interesting phenomenon to me

          It’s weird if you think about it. They’re basically saying “English was exactly correct at an arbitrary moment in time that I chose.” Anything different before that (such as ‘iland’) is wrong, but any new changes are an abomination.

          • Fal@yiffit.net
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            9
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            11 months ago

            That’s totally not fair. Some things are more wrong than others. And the “everything is correct even” language people are just as insufferable as the “there is exactly one correct usage” people.

            Using it’s instead of its is not slang, or an evolving use or alternative spelling. It’s simply wrong.