terryMc wrote:
Loose instead of lose, could care less, when meaning couldn't care less, possessive apostrophes in plurals, (how many photo's have been posted here today?), trying to sound sophisticated by using words like comprise and enamored, but using them incorrectly; All the complaining and ridiculing in the world isn't going to change any of this. Even the lexicographers eventually give up and accept these terms as "alternative usage."
Oral and written language are different. With English, there are regional dialects in several regions and countries as well as colloquialisms that can confound even native English speakers who are not familiar with them. (Ever been to Newcastle and listened to Geordie?) Written English must be standardized and concise, otherwise there can be confusion when reading it and coming across mis-spellings that create different words with different meanings, like loose for lose. This is particularly a problem for native speakers of different languages who read with a dictionary next to them. I'm sure that all of us have received user manuals written by non-native speakers that are incomprehensible. Legal documents must adhere to standardized language to that there is no misinterpretation of the meaning of words.