"Unfortunately, this (and your first post above) diminishes your theory about it being a deliberate choice of expression."
Not so much, actually. Language users often justify new constructions after the fact, and while the initial reason is often phonological convenience (not laziness!), new meanings become attached to the new constructions. This happens a lot, and is how a lot of words split in meaning Like, amusingly enough, grammar and glamour. Once the phonological change began occurring, people began to attach different associations to the two pronunications, until they both became words used in completely different contexts.
"This convenience doesn't apply to the written language"
Of course it does. The written language should, wherever possible, reflect the spoken language. That's what it's there for!
And yes, I know that the formal register has it's social uses, and that I'm a big idealist - but even formal register changes as the language does (witness that singular they has now become the preferred nongendered pronoun in the Australian Government Manual of Style). So phooey to you :P
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-01-12 05:33 am (UTC)Not so much, actually. Language users often justify new constructions after the fact, and while the initial reason is often phonological convenience (not laziness!), new meanings become attached to the new constructions. This happens a lot, and is how a lot of words split in meaning Like, amusingly enough, grammar and glamour. Once the phonological change began occurring, people began to attach different associations to the two pronunications, until they both became words used in completely different contexts.
"This convenience doesn't apply to the written language"
Of course it does. The written language should, wherever possible, reflect the spoken language. That's what it's there for!
And yes, I know that the formal register has it's social uses, and that I'm a big idealist - but even formal register changes as the language does (witness that singular they has now become the preferred nongendered pronoun in the Australian Government Manual of Style). So phooey to you :P