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KyleGoetz (Offline)
Attorney at Flaw
 
Posts: 2,965
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Texas
08-26-2009, 05:51 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by SceptileMaster View Post
It's not rigid it's just called speaking the language correctly. Also 'am not' is only used in the first person perspective meaning ain't is incorrect as you would use I'm instead. Plus it's not about one text book saying one thing and another textbook saying something else I was asking about how common uses of the different thing. The difference between じゃありません / ではありません and he don't / he doesn't is that even if one isn't commonly used or sounds a little weird both じゃありません and ではありません make sense grammatically but 'he don't' doesn’t.

Also I don't have problems learning the language I just want to get it right first then I can worry about slang and dialects after I can speak it correctly. There is a difference between complete incoherent garbage and slang or casual speak.
That's precisely my point. Who decides what is "correct"? Society.

If society deems something correct, it is correct.

Rule #1 of any composition/language use is to use the language your target audience expects you to use. If you are lecturing high school students, you wouldn't "forthwith explain your inner monologue," no matter how "correct" this is.

Language exists for one purpose: communicating ideas. If your usage impedes this purpose, it is bad. If it facilitates, it is good. This is why you modify your speech to a target audience.

Believe it or not, there is no "natural rule book" for any language. There is only societal judgement.

Speaking of "judgement," note my spelling there. In the US, judges and lawyers would tell you that is wrong because we spell it "judgment" instead. However, other groups of society spell it with the "e," so I chose to use the "e."

This demonstrates why it's important to know your audience when writing.
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