Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage – David Foster Wallace (2001) [pdf]

The discussion on Ghoti[0] around language standardisation reminded me of this essay. It's a review of an American Usage Dictionary[1] that centers primarily around the question of the purpose of dictionaries (as a prescription for the way language should be used, or as a record of use).

The post links to Harper's hosted scan of the original printing but it's a little difficult to read. There is a copy meant for screens [2] (under the title Authority and American Usage, subtitled or "Politics and the English Language" Is Redundant, as it was published in his collection of essays Consider the Lobster[3]).

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23581841

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garner%27s_Modern_English_Usag...

[2] https://github.com/borges-paradise/DFW/blob/master/dfw-autho...

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_the_Lobster