ABSTRACT
As good linguists, they approach language descriptively: a new way of using "grimy" is an interesting development, not an incorrect corruption. In matters of language usage, as in religion, morals, and politics, the trend of our time is revolt against authority. There are three general points about grammatical rules that need to be grasped: they are artifacts, they are not intended to produce good writers, and they are not lessons but reminders. Some linguists and lexicographers take refuge behind cardboard signs reading Science and Democracy when criticized for their failure to provide dictionary users with the help they want and thought they were going to get when they consult works. The literate public must be convinced that language is merely an aspect of human behavior, not an independent entity — so it must be convinced that schools, teachers, and rules are not dedicated to the thwarting of literary genius, nor instrumental in doing so.
