Re: "To whom"

Charlie wrote:
> May I quote from "The Columbia Guide to Standard American English"?
> "Only in Oratorical and Edited English and other Formal uses are
> these cases [who/whom] always distributed according to those rules.
> Conservative practice adheres to them in all levels as well, and such
> use is always appropriate, though not
> required....Unfortunately, this sort of divided usage [which I
> omitted at the ellipsis] has led to much hypercorrection."
>
Finally, a hint at the problem that has been implicit in this entire
discussion:  in _every_ language there are registers/styles that speakers
use at the appropriate times. We use a certain register when talking to the
mechanic working on our car; another with academic colleagues; yet another
with friends and family; probably others-- this is not snobbery, it's
appropriate communication that shows knowledge of ~sensitivity to the
society we live in [in which we live].

Failure to observe such distinctions is indeed seen as snobbery, or rudeness
or crudeness-- I still remember cringing when VP GHW Bush, after his debate
with Geraldine Ferraro in 1988, in his best approximation of "regular guy"
speech, said, "Well, I guess we kicked some ass tonight...."  The proverbial
fart in church.

We Americans, of course, don't like to dwell on social/class differences,
since the gospel is that they don't exist here, and everyone is just like
everyone else. Right. Brits may be sensitive for just the opposite reason:
class differences are all too clear in their society.