"There was two Mini Cooper parked in front of my house", or "there WERE two mini coopers"?

Don't fall for that Murphy's Law crap. It wasn't even written by Murphy.

Usually we call these systems "living" or "conscious".
These systems do require energy inputs however, when they starve, they die.

Quote:

There could be three laws.

there certainly should be!

I do feel a little bit like I'm talking to a wall with you JTT.
I would like to leave you with just a few thoughts before I move on to things I consider more fruitful and/or more entertaining.

Pure scientific research regarding linguistics, sociology, education, or any other field is very important.

Application of research is however is not the same ball of wax.

Maybe tutor some children?

so I can't really make a more specific recommendation.

You came to start a discussion that you've quickly discovered was above you.

Thanks for quoting. If you hadn't, I would have had to guess what you were talking about.

It's oxymoronic to suggest that you could have been a top student in your grammar classes.

Why is that?

Actually, I think the whole position of attacking prescriptivism based on one or two examples of usages which have gone out of fashion is a solecism.

I don't make up excuses for any mistakes I make after they have been pointed out

Spendius: I use language having been influenced by others who use language. I have vague notions about old fashioned subjunctives and none at all about gerunds, dangling participles and what not. Nor do I care. I am neither competent nor incompetent regarding describing language issues or using language. What you see is what you get. Like it or lump it.

Because you never learned any grammar. You are completely unable to discuss any. Note how you duck any discussion on grammar, language, even vocabulary.

Why do you go to such lengths to illustrate your ignorance, Spendius?

you truly are an idiot.

You still don't even have a firm enough grasp of the concepts to discuss it.

I appreciate the points you are making about how some of the prescriptive grammar rules help us in discussions of a more rigorous nature than just casual conversation. In my opinion, you are absolutely correct.

JTT uses prescriptive devises[sic] in his posts (the positioning of nouns and verbs…order of subjects and predicates)…so despite his protestations…well, you can finish that sentence yourself.

My guess is that most people would never refer to those kinds of things as “falsehoods.” That designation is merely there so that JTT can call any use of prescriptive grammar (by others) “lying”…which, of course, is on done so he can call the person using the language liars.

For here are the remarkable facts. Most of the prescriptive rules of the language mavens make no sense on any level. They are bits of folklore that originated for screwball reasons several hundred years ago and have perpetuated themselves ever since.

http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/1994_01_24_thenewrepublic.html

Archive for Prescriptivist poppycock

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?cat=5

and all the tirades of all the grammarians since the Renaissance sound like the prattlings of landscape gardeners who hope by frantic efforts to keep Alaska from bumping into Asia.

http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/correct/decline/

As we go about our lives, we move in and out of many social groups, each associated with specific places and characteristic activities — school, work, family, shopping, worship, soccer and more. For each of us, this dense network of associations forms our society. Every detail of our selves and our lives — our appearance, speech, activities and associations — is perceived by others as an emblem of who we were, what we have become and where we fit in. The social profile of each person is recognizable and unique, like a fingerprint.

The ways we speak also reflect this combination of social similarity and diversity in fine detail. Our speech reflects national, regional, occupational and educational differences (among others)

Our language is both a tool for communication and a part of our personal image, like our physical appearance, behavior and belongings.

http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/correct/gatekeeping/

Language Myth #21

...

http://www.pbs.org/speak/ahead/change/ruining/

But you already knew all this, Frank.You've been given this type of material more than once. Just as you avoid discussing these issues, you've likely avoided reading them or not which would illustrate just how much of a liar, a bald faced one, you really are. Which is it, Frank?