Carved in snow
How our changing language affects writing and editing
There isn't space here to delve deeply into the subject, but English isn't a fixed language. Every day new words and usages come into existence, and others fall. Since we deal with words, we must justify contentious usages.
The fact that English is continually changing presents problems for proofreaders, editors and writers. Should we stick to the form that has been found in the text books since the 1920s, or should we absorb the way language is actually used and apply it to our work?
In other words, can we be sure that new uses of, or newly coined, words and phrases will stick around long enough to be justifiably applied to our projects? We need to be sure that our clients know we haven't simply made mistakes, but are following an emerging pattern of change.
House style guides certainly help. They deal individually with cases such as “they v. he or she” or “single or double quotes”, but for many jobs, no house style is given and editors must decide for themselves which form to use.
This section provides a small sample of the things editors or writers have to deal with, and tries to give a definitive choice in each case.
Revisit in twenty years, and it's possible you’ll have quite a laugh.
Need more info? Discuss words, phrases, spelling and punctuation at the gpuss forum ...
