J4mes_bond25  +  264942 Sun, 10 Sep 06 01:25 PM Critiques of language are not uncommon and can be fun.  Examples include notions like misnomer, misuse of words, and phony words ("irregardless"). Can another more basic critique ever be made, namely, that a given word simply ought not exist? Is there a notably literature in linguists that may have studies this question? J4mes_bond25 Joined on Mon, Oct 31 2005 Land of Hope & Glory New Member 48 Nope, I'm NOT God ..... I'm British (the next best thing) !!! Literature

	Alienvoord  +  265075 Sun, 10 Sep 06 06:34 PM Linguists usually don't make judgements about language, they describe the facts of language use and come up with theories to explain them. It's hard to argue that a certain word should not exist if it is used and is comprehensible. For instance "irregardless" has been in use since at least 1927. If it's not a word, what is it? On the other hand, people make mistakes, and linguists account for this as well. You might be interested in eggcorns, which are interesting reanalyses and respellings of words and phrases. Alienvoord Joined on Tue, Jul 25 2006 Toronto Full Member 345

	milky  +  270263 Thu, 21 Sep 06 08:47 AM Fascist, racist, bigot, serial-killer, pedophile, terrorist, wife/husband-beater all ought not to exist, but sadly they do. milky Joined on Thu, Jan 15 2004 Senior Member 3,149 Hume said that if we had perfect or complete descriptive knowledge of reality, we could not, by reasoning, derive a single valid "ought".