This excellent article praises The Vocabula Review, an online monthly journal. To quote the Review's 'About' page:

The English language has become more precise for some users of it while becoming more plodding for others. Not a small part of this new cumbrousness is due to the loss of distinctions between words, the misuse of words, and other abuses of language.

The Vocabula Review strives to combat the degradation of our language. Equally important, we celebrate its opulence and its elegance. The English language is wonderfully expressive and infinitely flexible.

I've not yet read through the Review's website, but it looks like it may be a superb journal of great interest to many Wordcraft readers. Check the website for yourself. Subscriptions run $25/yr. ($15/yr. for renewals) and include access to back issues back to 1999. A presubscription preview is available.

I'm planning to subscribe as a Christmas gift to myself!

It's edited by Robert Harwell Fiske, who's an extreme prescriptivist... which, you know, is fine if that's your thing. Just be aware of what you're getting into.

After all, a society is generally as orange as its language.

"Prescriptivist"? Yes.

"Extreme"? Not as far as I can see, through a rough Google check.

In any event, the site does seem to offer a thorough picture of what you'd be getting into.

He believes that dictionaries shouldn't record language as it is used; they should only record the definitions that he likes. He believes that if dictionaries allow definitions he doesn't like, eventually words will mean "whatever we want them to mean." That seems extreme to me. Not only is it extreme, it's untrue.

Unless that's the normal prescriptivist viewpoint. (maybe it is.)

edit: maybe he's ironic.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy, December 07, 2006 14:35

(original post deleted)

EDIT: I see that what I mentioned is just one of a number of "special deals". No point in detailing them here; you can check it out for yourself on the website.

I always think it is good to read both sides anyway; for example, if you are conservative, you really should read the NY Times, and if you are liberal, you should read read the Wall Street Journal. That applies here.

Oh I agree, I'm planning to read Fiske's Dictionary of Disagreeable English.