Post #104,664
6/3/03 5:35:56 PM
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This is a bogus "rule"
It is my understanding that the rule arose in 18th century England, when grammars were being produced as prescriptions of the "right" way to talk and write. Apparently it was felt that, because "but" is a coordinating conjunction, it could not come at the beginning of a sentence where it would have nothing to coordinate. (Coordination between sentences was, apparently, beyond the ken of these grammarians.) [link|http://nweb.pct.edu/homepage/staff/evavra/ED498/Essay001.htm|Link] -----------------------------------------
[link|http://www.talion.com/questionw.html|?W]
Where's Osama? Where's the WMD? Where's the Anthrax killer? Where's the report of the investigation on 9/11?
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Post #104,665
6/3/03 5:39:31 PM
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Good, support for what I plan to keep doing anyway ;)
===
Implicitly condoning stupidity since 2001.
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Post #104,667
6/3/03 5:49:14 PM
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Nice link
Although it does seem to be evidence that I'm turning into a fogey...
While the 18th century does preceed me by a bit, I did spend some of my formative years in Virginia, so it probably just seemed like the 18th century.
Thanks,
Hugh
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Post #104,671
6/3/03 6:25:28 PM
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18th century in Virginia?
Modernist. :)
In some of the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, the local dialect is the closest modern equivalent to middle english there is. Methinks.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #104,672
6/3/03 6:27:06 PM
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No.
The closest modern equivalent to middle English is the Geordie accent, as spoken in the North-East of England.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
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Post #104,679
6/3/03 7:03:38 PM
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Fight!
No, not really. I'm just parroting information I've read elsewhere, is all.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #104,697
6/3/03 8:34:23 PM
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In the mountains of the carolines and virginia
the local dialect is closer to 17th century english as spoken by welsh and scots, On the coast of those states they sound remarkable like Bristol folks. Wargghh.
thanx,
bill
will work for cash and other incentives [link|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html|skill set]
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"I hit him so hard in the head his dog shat a turd in the shape of Jesus" Leonard Pine
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Post #104,699
6/3/03 8:49:37 PM
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Oh, come on...
...You weren't *THAT* hard to understand. ;-)
-YendorMike
[link|http://www.hope-ride.org/|http://www.hope-ride.org/]
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Post #104,737
6/4/03 2:25:34 AM
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I'm not from these parts.
I be a midlander.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
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Post #104,678
6/3/03 6:55:06 PM
6/3/03 6:59:14 PM
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That is certainly my experience.
Had an intermittent education in England (1st foray was age 10, last age 15). And I can clearly recall the most recent 'English' classes at grammar school in Surrey (Sth West of London), where we were emphatically told not to start a sentence with 'but'.
But, times change :-)
Cheers
Doug
Edited by dmarker
June 3, 2003, 06:55:34 PM EDT
Edited by dmarker
June 3, 2003, 06:59:14 PM EDT
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Post #104,681
6/3/03 7:10:43 PM
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**giggle**
And, if you don't do it too often, you can even get away with starting a sentence with "and"!
jb4
"We continue to live in a world where all our know-how is locked into binary files in an unknown format. If our documents are our corporate memory, Microsoft still has us all condemned to Alzheimer's."
Simon Phipps, SUN Microsystems
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