Re: On prescriptions and misunderstanding: was can/may

Mark J. Reed scripsit:

> I would argue,
> in fact, that the English of educated discourse is actually a second
> language (to those of us whose first language is English itself), which
> we gain greater and greater fluency in over time (hopefully), but which
> is distinct from our mother tongue.
Le Guin refers to it for this reason as our "father tongue".  Political speeches
are made in it, and it is the language of all kinds of power generally.

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