MLP: L'Academie Anglaise?

Should government control, or at least try to influence, language? The French do it. Their (non-binding) Academie Francaise is an official entity dedicated to preserving, protecting, and defining the French language since 1635. Never would "doughnut" become "donut" there, pas de tout.

Mrs. Language Person admits her love affair with language is not widely shared and yes, the French may be a tad stuffy (but what a beautiful language). Nevertheless, she has for company American founding father John Adams.

At the Continental Congress in 1780, Adams proposed to create a language academy. He believed government should have some role in shaping a language of democratic ideals with a potential for worldwide influence. The idea didn't take. Other delegates sniffed a whiff of monarchic control, a little too much government for their tastes.

Part of the picture of our emerging United States was a plethora of languages and a "vive la difference" respect for culture. Having an official language (let alone an office to enforce or encourage it) did not set well two centuries ago, especially with those whose native language was not English and whose major contributions to the American Revolution bought them power and influence. In fact, the English-only idea did not take hold until World War I engendered fear of German speakers.

Today the advent of texting and, dare MLP say, laziness erodes language to such a point that its very definition is under threat. If there is no uniformity, how do we communicate?

Linguists - and no, that's not the same as translators - study language as communication, culling its identifying characteristics, form, and meaning. Michigan State University linguistics professor Dr. Suzanne Wagner studied the dropping of "g" from "-ing" endings. Generally she found the less educated, the more g-dropping. However, she noted that those who dropped "g" before college tended to continue afterward, despite learning better or making other corrections in their English usage.

Why? Social context and popularity; g-dropping was common in households and neighborhoods among those who persisted. MLP can't explain why "in'" should be more popular than "ing," but they say old habits are hard to break, Pygmalion aside. As linguists would emphasize, effective communication is more important than rules.

Although they do help.

The world now shrinks at lightning speed, thanks to technology. English has replaced French and German as the international language of choice, so it's up to us native-speakers to set the norm. Communication's success requires uniformity, casual or otherwise.

Perhaps Mr. Adams' idea was just ahead of its time. A government-created, English-defining office? Too hard for American independent culture to swallow. A new approach in schools, perhaps a grammar qualifying exam before high school graduation? Sounds so European. I think they call it a baccalaureate - a qualifying exam to pass from high school to college level courses.

Touche, Mr. Adams.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist and word nerd for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.