I am with Martha and your caller - I lived in Italy for two years and mastering, almost, the subjunctive in Italian gave me a greater appreciation of its relevance in English. Grant, I agree, we cannot necessarily stop evolution, but do we need to cheer it on? I wonder what you think about the conditional forms of verbs? I have this vision of you embracing Newspeak as the only logical thing to do,
And a doubleplusgood day to all
Peter
Peter, you misuse “newspeak.†It doesn't mean “language usage that I disagree with†nor is it correct to use it as a catch-all blunt pejorative by which you can impugn someone's ideas without suffering the burden of making specific complaints. It means “propagandistic language marked by euphemism, circumlocution, and the inversion of customary meanings†(according to Merriam-Webster) or “the language of bureaucrats and politicians, regarded as deliberately ambiguous and misleading†(according to the Collins English Dictionary) or “ambiguous euphemistic language used chiefly in political propaganda†(according to the New Oxford American Dictionary).
I am not a politician, I do not practice propaganda, and my opinions on the subjunctive are direct and explicit–as is the language that we now use where the subjunctive was formerly used.
Italian isn't English. English isn't what it was. The subjunctive will live or die without our intervention. Going on long tirades in support of the subjunctive will do no more to stop the decline of the use of the subjunctive than they will stop the Earth in its orbit. Anyway, the subjunctive isn't dead, it's just hiding.
I should also add that I thought it was very clear by my tone of voice that I was mostly trying to get a rise out of my co-host and to counter the pointless sturm und drang about it!
Dear Grant
I did not mean to offend you! I was, in my own way, only trying to defend the subjunctive, without the benefit of your linguistic knowledge and erudition (and I appreciate what you are saying about Orwell, I am sure your definitions are correct). I thought I was being playful but maybe, judging by the results, I was not. I am a professional scientist and so I guess I must live with the results of my "experiment".
Anyway, I am a big fan of you and your show, have corresponded with Martha several times, and have my own opinions about language as an unrepentant transplanted Britisher.
Long live the subjunctive and your show
All the best
Peter
Peter! All is well! We're good. Were I to talk more on the air (subjunctive intended) about the subjunctive, I doubt I'd take such a tactic since it leaves me open to being misunderstood.