Toward a More Simple, Plain and Rational English - Softcover

Swarna, Swarna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1482801337 ISBN 13: 9781482801330

Publisher: PartridgeIndia, 2013

Synopsis

The book is a critique of the structure of the English language. English lacks neutral causative expressions. 'Eat' has a causative in 'feed' but other verbs do not have corresponding causative forms. That a need for a genuine causative construction is real can be shown by the various processes at work in the present-day English to express causation. 'learn, sit, stand' etc. are joining the ranks of verbs like 'grow, wake' etc. to be used both intransitively and causatively in informal English, though. ' help, make, and have' without the infinitive marker 'to' are being used to convey causation, but they do not sound authentic. In Indian languages, causative verbs are being formed morphologically. All these prove that grammar is constantly changing and evolving and not wired into the brain of a human being before birth. The book enunciates a program for direct well-meaning interventions to simplify and rationalize English, particularly its spelling. It also engages learners in cultivating rational thinking through short stories, episodes, and skits, written in a simple style, as exercises at the end of chapters. There is a wrong notion in the minds of most Indians that everything ancient is good and should be blindly followed, which creates an altogether avoidable tension in the minds of the young people exposed to scientific methods of studying natural phenomena.

About this title

About the Author

The author is a retired teacher of English. He obtained a b. a. (hons) degree from Andhra university and an m. phil. from madras university. He has gained quite some expertise in grammar, linguistics and pragmatics. He is a minimalist. He has a strong belief in what leanardo da vinci said that 'simplicity is the ultimate sophistication' Simplicity is indeed the ultimate perfection. he lives in Chennai, having devoted the best part of his life to teaching English in various colleges in Andhra Pradesh and tamil nadu. Linguistic structures across all languages suffer from ambiguities and even multiguities which hamper clear understanding of the message contained in them. It is abundantly clear to everybody that there is an urgent need for making languages simple, plain and rational now that the information in all fields of knowledge and activity is increasing at an exponential rate.

Edition details

• Publisher: PartridgeIndia
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1482801337
• ISBN 13: 9781482801330
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 190