1 2 Hela: Dear teachers,Would you please tell me what's the difference between the words "barbarism" and "solecism" ? Would you say that a sentence such as "My mother seems has grown young again" is an example of solecism ? (= pure nonsense ?) Best regards, Hela Tunisia Regular Member 831Full Member 265  The more you see, the less you know... Hi Hela, Would you please tell me what's the difference between the words "barbarism" and "solecism" ? For questions like this, it's usually good to look at the historical origins, the roots, of the terms. barbarism The roots of this word relate to 'foreign speech'. The idea is basically that foreigners speak poorly, so a barbarism would be some way that a barbarian would misuse the language of civilized people. Barbarisms often result from what purists consider to be using a word in an improper way. Someone who produces a 'barbarism' is considered to be someone who cannot be expected to know any better. solecism The word is derived from the name 'Soloi'. The Athenians spoke excellent Greek, but they all believed that Athens's colony at Soloi spoke terrible Greek, with awful grammar. Someone who produces a 'solecism' is considered to be someone who, really, should know better. Would you say that a sentence such as "My mother seems has grown young again" is an example of solecism ? (= pure nonsense ?) No, not at all. There is a minor grammar error, but the basic meaning seems rather beautiful, quite complimentary to the speaker's mother. Best wishes, Clive  El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo From the Wikipedia link I cited above: Modern descriptive linguistics generally dismisses the notion of solecisms, concentrating on how language is used, rather than how it ought to be used. Full Member 265 The more you see, the less you know... Hi, Although if I took that approach in my classroom, I'd be out of a job.  My students don't want me to leave their English as it is spoken by them. Clive El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo 1. *My mother seems has grown young again. In English c. 1600, the "seems" might have been a parenthetical ellipsis ("it seems"): 2. My mother (seems) has grown young again. It's better not to try this now, though. MrP Veteran Member 12,806   ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Hela: Thank you all for your help.  Clive, why don't you think that "My mother seems has grown younger again" is a solecism since you seem to consider it as a minor grammar mistake? All the best, Hela Tunisia Regular Member 831Hi Hela, Would you say that a sentence such as "My mother seems has grown young again" is an example of solecism ? (= pure nonsense ?) Clive, why don't you think that "My mother seems has grown younger again" is a solecism since you seem to consider it as a minor grammar mistake? 1. Because it's just a minor grammar error, at least in terms of the errors we encounter daily on the Forum. A solecism is not just another word for any kind of grammar error. 2. Because the Forum is a place for English learners, who are not expected to have perfect English. I said earlier that someone who produces a 'solecism' is considered to be someone who, really, should know better. 3. As I noted, the basic meaning seems rather beautiful, quite complimentary to the speaker's mother. 4. Your own definition of a solecism is 'pure nonsense', and this sentence is not nonsense. Best wishes, Clive El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Hela: First, I understand that my definition of 'solecism' is erroneous, it doesn't mean "pure nonsense".Second, since I am a regular user of this forum and a student of English, I shouldn't make such a grammar mistake. So if I did, would you consider it a solecism? Looking forward to your reply.  Tunisia Regular Member 831More
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