I believe that English is the largest language without any sort of “official body.” In France, the Académie Française has the authority to decide what is and isn’t French. I believe that similar bodies exist for German and Mandarin, as well.
Right, but as all similar such committees eventually learn, there’s a pretty strict limit to what they can actually control or regulate. Mostly it’s just formal written usage that can be regulated. Spoken language doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s notions of what’s considered correct or incorrect. This is one of the foundational principles of linguistics.
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I believe that English is the largest language without any sort of “official body.” In France, the Académie Française has the authority to decide what is and isn’t French. I believe that similar bodies exist for German and Mandarin, as well.
Right, but as all similar such committees eventually learn, there’s a pretty strict limit to what they can actually control or regulate. Mostly it’s just formal written usage that can be regulated. Spoken language doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s notions of what’s considered correct or incorrect. This is one of the foundational principles of linguistics.
deleted by creator