(Linguistics) What is the maximum authority regarding English Language?

[Ltnicolas 60]

TL;DR (Too long, Didn't Read): Title. Needed solid English references and wondered (Title).

 

 

 

TS;WTR (Too Short, Want To Read)

Going to make a post about my incoming Blacksmithing shop, came with some English doubts, and wondered (title).

 

In my mother tongue, Spanish, we have the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy) as the undisputedly de-facto maximum authority regarding the Spanish language. Even though it's based on Spanish Spanish (yeah, from Spain) It is the standard form of the language in the same way London English is the de-facto English standard (appropiately called... well... Standard English) You will get looked down if you go to an oral test and pull off some sick Somerset dialect, and you will get congratulated by me for your bravery, and probably become my new idol too. 

 

Any doubt you can go there and find it out. Say, for example, you want to know how to conjugate a verb. Of course you'll ask uncle Google  how to conjugate a verb  what was the RAE's site again.

 

 

 

Spanish conjugation of present simple tense of verb "cocinar" (to cook):

 

Yo cocino                                  (I cook)

Tú cocinas / Vos cocinás   (You cook)

El/Ella cocina                           (He/She cooks)

Nosotros cocinamos            (We cook)

Vosotros cocináis                  (You cook)

Ellos cocinan                            (They cook)

 

 

Muchas gracias

Edited January 18, 2022 by Ltnicolas
Typos. Don't you hate when you write in English thinking in Spanish and mess things up?

[Archaed 2,280]

The English language does not have a maximum authority, as it is so widespread that regional dialects and mannerisms come into play. Every country has their own "regional" English (like how the US omit the U in many words, use Z instead of S in others and so on), so it's not a collection of like minded approaches and rules that lead to a single truth 

 

It's more like a free for all bar fight on a Saturday night. 

[Crack 408]

What you saying bout my somerset accent? lol

 

The dialect in london is different from other regions.. mainly because london is a melting pot of different cultures and peoples. 

and scouse is defenitly not english 🤣

Edited January 18, 2022 by Crack

[Ltnicolas 60]

Just now, Crack said:

What you saying bout my somerset accent? lol

 

I said it's sickkkkkkk

 

 

33 minutes ago, Archaed said:

The English language does not have a maximum authority, as it is so widespread that regional dialects and mannerisms come into play. Every country has their own "regional" English (like how the US omit the U in many words, use Z instead of S in others and so on), so it's not a collection of like minded approaches and rules that lead to a single truth 

 

It's more like a free for all bar fight on a Saturday night. 

Okay got it. I did my international exams up to CPE in Cambridge University. I know there's also Oxford, but I didn't know if there was better than the other of held in higher regard.

 

 

Thanks both lol

[Crack 408]

Im just messing, im glad i cant hear my own accent

 

Its definitely an interesting question id never put much thought into before

[Tristanc 570]

For the UK's formal English, the Oxford English Dictionary is regarded by many as authoritative.

That's not really a source for casually-spoken English, though, nor English as used in other nations with their own conventions such as the USA's variety of English.

 

 

[SmeJack 5,796]

The US bastardised their spelling for the sake of being a teenager rebelling against their parents and wanting 'their own identity'. Even though I would say that the English have the most trouble speaking English, I would say that their spelling would be the authority.

[Tpikol 1,057]

there is nothing as official as this for english afaik https://www.rae.es/dpd/el

 

but there are sites like this Word Reference for helping with translation with examples of usage, sinonims and other stuff.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Tpikol

[Coach 196]

4 hours ago, SmeJack said:

The US bastardised their spelling for the sake of being a teenager rebelling against their parents and wanting 'their own identity'. Even though I would say that the English have the most trouble speaking English, I would say that their spelling would be the authority.

 

🤭

I can't wait for the modern people to change the spelling to get their own identity. A apprentice baked a kokonut taste kookie and a biskuit which inspired by a kook. The baker is surprised how they look so kool. Which period does all these people belong to? 20th yo, I go to skhool by e-learning bekause of Kovid. Yo, u build-in checking spelling bot stop red underline the words. I know i got it right. U naughty. 

[TheTrickster 2,284]

7 hours ago, Archaed said:

(like how the US ... use Z instead of S in others and so on)

 

nonononononono.......

 

(Sorry. let me start again).

 

North Americans still use -ize, as the British did from the 15th century.  Lately, British (and sadly Australian) habit is to use -ise instead of -ize.   S is the newcomer.

 

Okay, nothing to see here, get on with your day.

 

By the way, I was brought up on a mixed bag of "proper English" and broad Australian, or Occer, for those in the know - think <shudder> Alf Stewart from Home and Away; he is from a similar part of the country to me.  So, while I shudder when people say "begs the question" when they mean "raises the question" I am fine with "holy snappin' duck toads!"

 

[Coach 196]

Let me stop being naughty.

 

To answer ur question, about authority, i would say the person who created the word. Like for example, person A created "yes" he defined yes as yeast. person B created "yes" he defined yes as bread. Person A and person B have total authority to define, use, speak, type or change of their own "yes" word.

 

But the person A don't have the authority to the word "yes" created by person B. Vice versa.

The spelling of the words are same but the authorities are separated. Even if the meanings are the same, person A define "yes" as baker. person B define "yes" as baker. But because person A is not reference from person B, and they don't know their each other existence.

Its just coincidence. Person A still don't have the authority to the word "yes" created by person B. Person A can only have the authority to his word "yes". Person A has the authority of his own "yes" as baker. Person B has the authority his own "yes" as baker. Person A don't have the authority of "yes" as baker created by person B. Vice versa.

Because we hardly know word who is the creator of the word. And the only person who know who is the creator, is the creator himself and he know he referenced others or not. Other people hardly know who has the authority because u are not person A and B. Unless u are someone like 100% know everything. 

 

However, when comes to understanding each other, we need to define the word into same meaning in order to know what other person saying. So is ur question actually asking, what is the authority to group the spellings and meanings of all words to make sure other people understanding each other. Otherwise the yeast and bread situation will come up.

[TheTrickster 2,284]

6 hours ago, Coach said:

So is ur question actually asking, what is the authority to group the spellings and meanings of all words to make sure other people understanding each other.

Well, yes, the question is asking that, but specifically about "standard" English, as the question stated.

 

As is probably becoming quite apparent, "standard" English is a bit hard to define rigidly.  It is full of loan words from other languages, and even its grammar rules are affected by the grammar rules of the languages from which it borrows. 

 

So it has words, and influences, from French, German, Norse, Welsh, Indian languages, as well as Italics, Latin and ancient Greek.  The list goes on.  

 

Words:  generally there are not authoritative definitions, just definitions based on actual usage.  Oxford is probably the gold standard for words and their usage.

Grammar:  There is probably a work that is authoritative on "proper" grammar, but I don't know what it is (and again, what is "correct" is more and more becoming subjective and utilitarian).

 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by TheTrickster

[Coach 196]

What is the authority to group the spellings and meanings of all words?
I would say someone/something that know 100% everything about languages. Assume the someone/something is called some100%. Some100% need to know all the words, meanings, grammars, created by who, when, where, how, why, know how to input the information into individual without mistakes(individual receive and understand what the some100% told fully), etc. What is some100%? Does it exist or not? Then its up to u to define. 

Back to daily life. Everyone can group the spellings and meanings of all words to make sure other people understanding each other. Into a book called dictionary maybe or just write on trees? The thing is, other people will decide to use it or not, based on is it reasonable? But because of people can't really see all the dictionaries in the world, and it is subjective, its just an opinion on which dictionaries should be. 
For example, 99% of people choose Dictionary A. 1% of people choose Dictionary B. Does Dictionary A commonly use within people? Yes. Does it have all the words and meanings we need? I believe i don't know. Is it the time need some100% to come back now? 

Back to two people communication, they can choose a dictionary to learn in order to communicate with each other, they understand the words in this dictionary. And this dictionary become this two people the "maximum authority". Oh they don't like someone define for them. Go ahead and make a dictionary within us two. The dictionaries can be big or small, like it can contain only one word. Just like what i did, defined some100% for u to understand. How did u understand me? I have no idea, maybe a built-in mechanism within human. Do i know u understand me or not? I believe i don't know, but i will try to know whether u understand me or not. 

At the end of the day, we just want someone to understand ourself. Can u hold a thought that other people can't understand u, and be nice to them. I feel like i talked too much in this week.🤭