Michael Adams
American linguist
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
Standard American English, a sort of lingua franca, has its uses, and those who hope to achieve certain social and economic ends must use it well; but they need not use it on all or even most occasions. Living American English, with its ephemeral vocabulary and populist grammar, is more democratic, in terms of both access and effects, than most American institutions, though some who champion Standard American English are uncomfortable with that fact.
—Michael Adams, American linguist, "Ephemeral Language" from American Speech, Winter 2000
Posted on July 7, 2000 at 9:46 PM
WORDS ABOUT WORDS
Ephemeral English is the living language, whether or not scholars and teachers approve, the language in which folks construct their everyday lives, the language of emotion, of work and play. By contrast, much of the standard vocabulary, rather than living, merely survives.
—Michael Adams, American linguist, "Ephemeral Language" from American Speech, Winter 2000, 2000
Posted on May 23, 2000 at 6:57 PM
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