Who is in charge of Language?

[RoJoHen]

Language. Where the frick did it come from, and who is in charge of maintaining it?

We have things like Webster's Dictionary that has the power to magically add words to the English language. We have long lists of rules about grammar, spelling, and pronunciation.

But whose job is it to decide what is right and what it wrong? Where did grammar come from? Why is it wrong that I just ended that question with a preposition? Why is wrong that I started this paragraph with the word "but?"

Now, don't get me wrong. I am generally a stickler for grammar, and I will point out mistakes whenever I see them. My manager used to post memos to his employees on the bulletin board, and I would edit them with a red pen because they were so full of mistakes! "At least that means you're reading it," he would respond.

When grammar rules change or evolve, how does that happen? Is there some secret society of English professors sitting in a stuffy library somewhere making up these rules?

 

[JonathonWally]

When grammar rules change or evolve, how does that happen?

Hopefully not from the internet.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I find that grammar tends to evolve with the times. Whatever becomes socially acceptable for the time tends to stick around for longer, while older grammatical forms are preserved by said English professors in said stuffy library.

At the end of the day, clarity of communication is king. At least that's how I see things.

 

[Brent]

They do

Whoever they is

 

[Me-Ike]

English professors in a stuffy library? I so wanna be part of that club, man.

It usually just harks back to basic majority, though. Enough people apply certain grammatical rules? It then becomes officially correct. Mind you, it has to be based on grammatical rules, it can't just be willy nilly usage of the language.

How that majority comes into being can have different backgrounds. In earlier times people were still conquered from time to time and then often adapted the language of the conquering nations to a degree through which new grammatical and lexical features entered the language. Sometimes the language of the conquerers underwent that change.
It could also be a form a differentiation. In the 19th century the upper classes in Britain wanted to distinguish themselves from the lower classes or the American settlers (I would have to look up again from who exactly and I am currently too tired to do that). So they slowly dropped the pronunciation of the 'r' in words like there. From the upper classes it went to the middle classes to the lower classes.

There are multiple ways how a language can change. Nowadays the global influence of television might also play a role. Majority adapts, rules change - most of the times inofficially before officially. (In the case of current German orthography it was the other way round.)
And then stuffy old professors screw us all over and change the rules to their liking. I really want to belong in that club.

 

[RoJoHen]

I just think it would be fascinating to study the history of language. Where did participles come from, and who decided to call them participles? Who was so lazy when writing words that he decided to shorten them by adding apostrophes? Who later (or earlier?) decided that apostrophes were also great for possessive forms of words? Why is my name pronounced the way it is when the rules of pronunciation say it should be pronounced another way?

I think it's frickin' weird.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

English as a language has several origins - mostly Germanic and Anglo-Saxon, but over the years it has developed a near-infinite diversity with a near-infinite combination of other languages such as those of Eastern Europe, Greek, Latin, French and the other Romantic languages, and even other areas. During this time it is logical to suggest that the basic grammatical framework from its Germanic origins was added to by influences from the other languages.

Grammatical terms themselves probably arose out of necessity to call these concepts something, again borrowing heavily from concepts from other languages.

But what do I know - I'm a doctor, not an English teacher.

 

[Me-Ike]

I just think it would be fascinating to study the history of language. Where did participles come from, and who decided to call them participles? Who was so lazy when writing words that he decided to shorten them by adding apostrophes? Who later (or earlier?) decided that apostrophes were also great for possessive forms of words? Why is my name pronounced the way it is when the rules of pronunciation say it should be pronounced another way?

I think it's frickin' weird.

Who exactly when and where called participles participles, dunno. Whoever once sat down and came up with the grammatical names was, as was custom, pretty taken with Latin. Most terms derive from ye olde lingua franca.
Apostrophes? No clue.
Pronunciation? You silly English speaking folks have to answer that on your own. Most other Germanic or Romanic languages adapted their spelling over time and now mostly reflect the pronunciation; English did not. But English often used to be pronounced like it was spelled. Sun for example really had a 'u' sound once upon a time. Then came the great vowel shift in the 14th/15th century and changed all that. Orthography did not care.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I know that in Iceland there is a special committee that determines how new words should be added to the language. I believe some other countries have committees/councils.

 

[RoJoHen]

But at least with words like "sun," I understand that current rules that tell me why it's pronounced with an "uh" sound instead of an "oo" sound. If you added an "e" to the end of the word, it would regain the "oo" sound.

I understand the rules, but I don't know WHY those are the rules. There's nothing inherently better about "sun" or "sune," nor is there anything particularly obvious as to why one should be pronounced a different way than the other. I just trust that it's correct.

 

[Goliath]

And then stuffy old professors screw us all over and change the rules to their liking. I really want to belong in that club.

 

[Me-Ike]

^ If you know the password, sir, you better pm it to me right now. Or I will see to it that 'I can haz' becomes officially correct in standard English!

But at least with words like "sun," I understand that current rules that tell me why it's pronounced with an "uh" sound instead of an "oo" sound. If you added an "e" to the end of the word, it would regain the "oo" sound.

I understand the rules, but I don't know WHY those are the rules. There's nothing inherently better about "sun" or "sune," nor is there anything particularly obvious as to why one should be pronounced a different way than the other. I just trust that it's correct.

Again I can't offer a better explanation than mere convention of a majority. But then I never made it into the club.
Taking your question even one step further, you could just as well ask why a 't' is a 't', a 'y' a 'y', and so on.

 

[RoJoHen]

^ If you know the password, sir, you better pm it to me right now. Or I will see to it that 'I can haz' becomes officially correct in standard English!

But at least with words like "sun," I understand that current rules that tell me why it's pronounced with an "uh" sound instead of an "oo" sound. If you added an "e" to the end of the word, it would regain the "oo" sound.

I understand the rules, but I don't know WHY those are the rules. There's nothing inherently better about "sun" or "sune," nor is there anything particularly obvious as to why one should be pronounced a different way than the other. I just trust that it's correct.

Again I can't offer a better explanation than mere convention of a majority. But then I never made it into the club.
Taking your question even one step further, you could just as well ask why a 't' is a 't', a 'y' a 'y', and so on.

Indeed.

Where's a frickin caveman when you need him?

 

[Me-Ike]

^ I heard the last one stoned himself when the first modern human thought of additional past tenses.

 

[RoJoHen]

Caveman: "I'll diagram that sentence...IN HELL!"
*smashes his head on a rock*

 

[Me-Ike]

Caveman: "I'll diagram that sentence...IN HELL!"
*smashes his head on a rock*

And then religion was invented telling him that, actually, he would turn out to do exactly that. For eternity.

 

[RoJoHen]

Caveman: "I'll diagram that sentence...IN HELL!"
*smashes his head on a rock*

And then religion was invented telling him that, actually, he would turn out to do exactly that. For eternity.

But was religion invented first? Or did it happen later?

Where did dead people go before religion was invented? Hmm?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Caveman: "I'll diagram that sentence...IN HELL!"
*smashes his head on a rock*

And then religion was invented telling him that, actually, he would turn out to do exactly that. For eternity.

But was religion invented first? Or did it happen later?

Where did dead people go before religion was invented? Hmm?

Prehistoric Hell.

Like modern Hell, but without Windows ME.

 

[RoJoHen]

And then religion was invented telling him that, actually, he would turn out to do exactly that. For eternity.

But was religion invented first? Or did it happen later?

Where did dead people go before religion was invented? Hmm?

Prehistoric Hell.

Like modern Hell, but without Windows ME.

They have no mice in Prehistoric Hell. Everything is done with keystrokes, monitors are green, and floppy discs are still FLOPPY!

 

[Me-Ike]

Caveman: "I'll diagram that sentence...IN HELL!"
*smashes his head on a rock*

And then religion was invented telling him that, actually, he would turn out to do exactly that. For eternity.

But was religion invented first? Or did it happen later?

Where did dead people go before religion was invented? Hmm?

Can't you read, man? First there was nothing, then came man, then there was neither time nor place for the dinosaurs, so men invented letters and grammar rules. And then cavemen. Somewhere. Before or after the apple and the sin. Convention of majority?