I've noticed currently a couple of interesting changes in (American, at
least) English occuring before our ... ears, I guess.
One is the use of it's as a possessive, as in "This table has one of it's
legs too short." This is still strictly speaking illiterate, but is
becoming wide so wide spread that I fear we will live to see it accepted
usage. That, I submit, will be a sorry day for civilization. I've
sometimes toyed with the idea of forming an International It's Its Society
dedicated to combatting the rot.
Another is the drift in meaning of the phrase "beg the question." This
originally meant, and still properly should mean, the logical fallacy of
assuming the point at question, as in "School children should be required to
recite the Pledge of Allegiance in class to teach them patriotism" (when the
question at issue is exactly whether such an exercise is an appropriate
expression of patriotism for Americans.) This is now being more and more
used as a substitute for "raise the question," as in, "The increasing crisis
in Fredonia begs the question of how long the Firely regime can continue to
hold power." This always grates on me horribly, but then who am I ...
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