Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang,alt.fan.cecil-adams
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!portc02.blue.aol.com!howland.erols.net!news.mathworks.com!uunet!in1.uu.net!uucp1.uu.net!world!jcf
From: jcf@world.std.com (Joseph C Fineman)
Subject: Re: Fowler unfairly maligned again
Message-ID: <E2w36z.CsH@world.std.com>
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
References: <59lblh$hka@totara.its.vuw.ac.nz>
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 23:13:47 GMT
Lines: 20

May I add a bit of utterly anecdotal evidence on the substantive
question?

About 30 years ago I had the experience, which burned itself into my
mind, of leaning over the shoulder of a young American physicist while
he muttered "that" (at the beginning of a restrictive clause) & wrote
down "which".

My impression is that Americans, at least, almost always use "that" to
introduce restrictive clauses in speech, but large numbers of them
think it has to be dressed up as "which" in formal writing.  In case
any such people are reading this, let me urge on you that here you
have a rare opportunity to do what comes natural _and_ please the
writers of style books.  Why spit on your luck?

---  Joe Fineman    jcf@world.std.com

||:  The church is near, but the road is icy; the tavern is far,  :||
||:  but I'll go carefully.                                       :||

