Founding Grammars

How Early America's War Over Words Shaped Today's Language

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Grammar, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Founding Grammars by Rosemarie Ostler, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rosemarie Ostler ISBN: 9781466846289
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: May 12, 2015
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Rosemarie Ostler
ISBN: 9781466846289
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: May 12, 2015
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

Who decided not to split infinitives? With whom should we take issue if in fact, we wish to boldly write what no grammarian hath writ before? In Founding Grammars, Rosemarie Ostler delves into the roots of our grammar obsession to answer these questions and many more. Standard grammar and accurate spelling are widely considered hallmarks of a good education, but their exact definitions are much more contentious - capable of inciting a full-blown grammar war at the splice of a comma, battles readily visible in the media and online in the comments of blogs and chat rooms. With an accessible and enthusiastic journalistic approach, Ostler considers these grammatical shibboleths, tracing current debates back to America's earliest days, an era when most families owned only two books - the Bible and a grammar primer. Along the way, she investigates colorful historical characters on both sides of the grammar debate in her efforts to unmask the origins of contemporary speech. Linguistic founding fathers like Noah Webster, Tory expatriate Lindley Murray, and post-Civil War literary critic Richard Grant White,all play a featured role in creating the rules we've come to use, and occasionally discard, throughout the years. Founding Grammars is for curious readers who want to know where grammar rules have come from, where they've been, and where they might go next.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Who decided not to split infinitives? With whom should we take issue if in fact, we wish to boldly write what no grammarian hath writ before? In Founding Grammars, Rosemarie Ostler delves into the roots of our grammar obsession to answer these questions and many more. Standard grammar and accurate spelling are widely considered hallmarks of a good education, but their exact definitions are much more contentious - capable of inciting a full-blown grammar war at the splice of a comma, battles readily visible in the media and online in the comments of blogs and chat rooms. With an accessible and enthusiastic journalistic approach, Ostler considers these grammatical shibboleths, tracing current debates back to America's earliest days, an era when most families owned only two books - the Bible and a grammar primer. Along the way, she investigates colorful historical characters on both sides of the grammar debate in her efforts to unmask the origins of contemporary speech. Linguistic founding fathers like Noah Webster, Tory expatriate Lindley Murray, and post-Civil War literary critic Richard Grant White,all play a featured role in creating the rules we've come to use, and occasionally discard, throughout the years. Founding Grammars is for curious readers who want to know where grammar rules have come from, where they've been, and where they might go next.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Broken Music by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Hero of the Underground by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Hide Away by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book The Global Code by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book The Perfume Garden by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book The Madaris Series by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book The Detroit Electric Scheme by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book The Devil Himself by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Losing Ground by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book David Boreanaz by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Wildlife Wars by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Death in St. Petersburg by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Mission Hill by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Them or Us by Rosemarie Ostler
Cover of the book Fighting Blind by Rosemarie Ostler
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy