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From: deb5@harper.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: Common errors of native speakers
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References: <4hsdpj$m1@hpg30a.csc.cuhk.hk> <4imr3r$dq0@cronkite.cisco.com> <1996Mar22.164709.689@kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw>
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 04:18:45 GMT
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In article <1996Mar22.164709.689@kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw>,
 <tim@kuc01.kuniv.edu.kw> wrote:
>In Article <4imr3r$dq0@cronkite.cisco.com>
>jahlstro@cisco.com (John Ahlstrom) writes:
>>Would a descriptive linguist, rather than a prescriptive grammarian,
>>accept a category "Common errors of native speakers"?
>
>If they're common, and come from native speakers, how could they be errors?

What do the native speakers consider them?  If all speakers consider them
unacceptable in every context, wouldn't they be errors?

I think particularly of forms produced during language acquisition.  I've
heard many children say "lellow" for "yellow", "pasketti" for "spaghetti",
and "chimbley" for "chimney", but not a single adult.  Because perception
exceeds production, the children themselves may even recognise them as 
errors and correct adults who say them.

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
