Alumni English & American Studies: The Discourse on English Usage in the British Media

The Alumni of English and American Studies of Graz University invited students and alumni to a guest lecture by Morana Lukač of the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics.

“Less should not be misused for fewer. Less refers to quantity, fewer to number.” (Strunk 1918).

The Discourse on English Usage in the British Media

English lacks a central arbiter of language, a single linguistic authority. Nevertheless, as a result of a centuries’ long tradition of grammar, dictionary, usage guide and text book writing, grammar rules, such as the ones cited above, have been widely distributed primarily through educational institutions, but also through popular publications such as usage guides in the English-speaking world. These sources constitute the primary force in what are in effect bottom-up standardisation efforts in the English language.