Many so-called “rules” of grammar are actually just zombie rules. They’re ill-advised attempts by 17th-century grammarians to make English syntax fit the orderly rules of Latin. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Zombie Language Rules”
You know, Grant, I was thinking more about our call with Paloma, who asked how we came to have our attitudes about language.
And I was thinking I wanted to add something to that, which is that I talked about my mother criticizing people’s grammar.
And I do think that there’s a need to understand principles of grammar and basic grammatical rules.
Right. We agree on that.
Grammar can be our friend if it helps us express ourselves and express ourselves clearly.
But the other thing about that is that so many of the grammatical rules that I’ve been taught, that my mother taught in class, are just constructs and don’t really have any basis in logic or language.
For example, the old saw about not ending a sentence with a preposition.
Which no grammarian that we know, and we know hundreds of them, would endorse.
Right. Exactly. It’s the result of 17th and 18th century grammarians trying to squeeze the swollen feet of English into the two tight shoes of Latin grammar.
It’s nonsensical, really.
Yeah. The zombie rules, as they’ve been called.
Zombie rules.
And the thing that we can spout them about split infinitives and all these things.
And many of these are not supported by the language.
The language doesn’t care.
Modern style guides will specifically say that these are not actually rules in English.
Right.
Modern grammarians will say these are not rules in English.
Many linguists and lexicographers say these should have never been rules in English.
Right.
And yet they’re out there like bits of useless folklore that keep getting passed along as if they’re wisdom when actually they’re little micro failures.
Yes, yes.
And making people uncomfortable and reluctant to try to express themselves.
So my point is that I wasn’t saying anything goes whatsoever.
We never do.
But if you’re worried about a grammatical rule, check it out.
Yeah, I would also say there are lots of rules for English,
But they’re not necessarily the ones that you think they are.
Well said.
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