Gregory Howard said:The rule is strictly "short story."
And that isn't because I'm trying to act superior or pretend I know things others don't. It's simply to point out that:
1) correcting other people's spelling is never appropriate.
2) grammar rules are riddled with flaws. Beyond what's already been mentioned, you have nonsense abbreviations like "dictionary" when any sane person knows we should just use the full word—just like how anyone would use "messenger" instead of some truncated version. It’s ridiculous. We shouldn't be inventing bizarre, fake rules about vowel length and contraction that have no basis in reality.
If you want to label someone a linguistic nationalist, people—at least in public discourse—judge you based on your actual record. ☕
Fine. So what's the issue?
1) It isn't right to correct other people's grammar/spelling.
Of course it is, especially if people are accusing you of pushing some outdated hybrid dialect. What's the big deal? I won't hold it against someone for correcting me either—actually, I'd be grateful. My goal is to be literate, not illiterate.
2) Grammar rules have plenty of flaws—besides the stuff mentioned, there's also nonsense like the dictionary, when any sane person knows that if we're just going by "ear," then we should follow how things sound, like using certain spellings over others. Not to mention those bizarre pseudo-laws about vowel length and shortening that make zero sense.
Those aren't "pseudo-laws." I don't even get your logic. American English isn't the only language with inconsistencies. These are just irregularities you have to learn. But wait, why would we even have irregularities in the first place? If we followed that logic, there would never be a standard, because someone would always find something to complain about—just like how many people can't tell the difference between
c and
ch. Look, over on the Social Science subforum, they're actually suggesting getting rid of the letter
j. You agree with that?
If you were some linguistic unifier, people would judge you based on your public statements.☕
They say, "Don't listen to what they say, look at who is saying it." This isn't directed at you; it's for the person who labeled me a defender of that bastardized hybrid language for no reason at all (probably just for their own reasons), much like if I suddenly called you a communist without any basis.
If anyone is against the idea of that bastardized mess, then it's me. If you love that garbage, go talk to Igor Mandić or Snježana Kordić, not me.
