Re:The Elements of Style [pdf]
by psychoslave on Monday August 28, 2023 @08:44AM
(#37293118)
As a French native, born and living in France, I can guarantee you that "a fully authoritative grammar book" backed by a public institution can be a think. Really, here even orthographic errors is supposed to be deemed as a "fault" for which you should feel very ashamed. All that with a large set of inconsistent rules, all having exceptions.
Re:The Elements of Style [pdf]
by TRiG_Ireland on Monday August 28, 2023 @08:53AM
(#37293200)
All that is is a style guide for government publications. It's not binding on anyone else, and certainly is not representative of how French people really speak or write.
Re:The Elements of Style [pdf]
by psychoslave on Monday August 28, 2023 @03:22PM
(#37299157)
Of course it's not representative of how French people speak, write, or think. It does influence all aspects of their life wherever they have verbal interactions with some institution, and all the side effect it can permeate to.
The fact some finger-wagging body in France thinks it can sweep out the tide doesn't mean it's capable of any such thing.
Re:The Elements of Style [pdf]
by psychoslave on Monday August 28, 2023 @03:29PM
(#37299254)
Interesting links, thanks.
Yes, we agree, but those pretending they can when they are backed by governmental powers can go pretty far in term of influence.
Re:The Elements of Style [pdf]
by asimpletune on Monday August 28, 2023 @11:51AM
(#37296033)
I think Italian actually has an official version, which is from when the Academia della Crusca got together and decided what would be the official Italian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accademia_della_Crusca
Again, a government claiming they have one doesn't mean it's possible.
No living language has a fully authoritative grammar book, as the grammar of living languages is discovered, not prescribed. That's a part of what linguists do, after all, and they have plenty of debates over precisely how to do it. The overly-simplified grammars taught to language learners as "Correct" are only the tip of a huge, wonderously complex iceberg.
Here's an example of a more academic English grammar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cambridge_Grammar_of_the_E...
Note that The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language is almost 2000 pages long.