Native speakers, grandchildren of History of French

From: Jacques Guy (jguy_at_alphalink.com.au)
Date: 09/25/04 

Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 15:21:13 -0700

Herman Rubin wrote:
>
> In article <nsanders.DIE.SPAM-EA7EBE.23442622092004@news.verizon.net>,
> Nathan Sanders <nsanders.DIE.SPAM@wso.williams.edu> wrote:
 
> >If native speakers of language L say X in L, then X is correct in L.
> >X is not necessarily correct in a different language (which includes
> >the standard form of L), of course,.
 
> Which native speakers? According to this, there would be
> dozens of different "English" languages.
>
> This is the "modern" version of social science brought in
> by the socialist educationists, that there is nothing
> which can be called "right". They extend it to everything
> else, which is why education has gone downhill.

Having somewhat desultorily watched this thread, and dipped
a tentative toe in it once, it seems to me to shrink to this,
which is far from "anything goes":

"Native speakers are infallible in all
circumstances except when do not satisfy
my views of language"

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