On 1/19/07, The Wanderer <inverseparadox@comcast.net> wrote:
Quoting fixed - reordered and the appropriate level of > indentation
added. Please, even if you're going to top-post (bad as that is), at
least quote correctly.
As a brief aside, this is probably a major part of what caused your
comment to be dismissed (no one likes to be condescended to, and there
is no 'right' way to reply to e-mails on the FFML).
Mark Doherty wrote:
Brian Randall <durandall@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm still working on my degree. But:
http://m-w.com/dictionary/alright
Generally considered 'informal' writing, and not advisable for
'edited works'. Draw your own conclusions; though I'm personally
inclined to say that it's fine as-is, especially since it's in
dialogue, which naturally grants a degree of latitude.
Yes, that's exactly it. If I was using alright in descriptive
portion, I'd change it. But in dialogue, it's fine - it's the same as
using slang or other informal words (ie, don't use it anywhere but
in conversation portions).
I disagree sharply.
I allow considerable latitude for grammar and colloquialism in dialogue
- but "alright" vs. "all right" is not a matter of grammar but of
*spelling*; boht are pronounced the same, and if the sentence were
spoken aloud no one would notice the difference. I consider it horribly
unprofessional in any form of writing; its presence in an otherwise good
and well-polished story would constitute an eyesore, a definite break in
the comfortable flow of the story - the more so because there are fair
odds that the writer does not merely not care but actually thinks that
the usage is acceptable.
The cntext of "dialogue" does not automatically excuse any error the
author may want it to...
Can you please reconcile this against the fact that 'alright' was
spelled correctly according to the Oxford English Dictionary? I'm
just curious.
Otherwise, you were more than a bit overbearing in your approach here,
which I think is the rest of what caused your commentary to be
dismissed. Especially since 'alright' is considered acceptable use at
this point. English grows and changes as a language, as little as we
may like it. We're not the French, and we don't have a council to
preserve our language from outside influences.
--
The Wanderer
Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.
Secrecy is the beginning of tyranny.