[KS] Re: Se habla Han'gul?

[HKHogarth at aol.com]

Dear list,

In my last posting, I may have sounded didactic, 'prescriptivist' and even 
'school-marmish'  to some.  But I mean to be none of those.  I do agree  that 
language is dynamic with many variables constantly in operation. My point is 
that linguists (and highly educated people) should be a variable in the 
process of its change to keep up a sort of standard. What I am saying is they 
should not be too hasty in endorsing whatever mistake a small group of people 
are making as 'standard.'   If a certain usage becomes widely prevalent over 
time, there is nothing anybody can do but accept it as such. In the meantime, 
however, occasionally, as in the case of HangUl, if a wrong usage is made, 
they could be a force to check its becoming widespread. Language after all is 
made and changed by people (experts as well as ordinary people); it is not 
like the turn of the tide that man cannot control. All I am saying is that 
experts should occasionally play an active role in maintaining a standard, 
instead of just sitting back, recording and analyzing 'what people say.'

Hyun-key Kim Hogarth



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