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).<p>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 <i>Authority and American Usage</i>, subtitled <i>or "Politics and the English Language" Is Redundant</i>, as it was published in his collection of essays <i>Consider the Lobster</i>[3]).<p>[0] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23581841" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23581841</a><p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garner%27s_Modern_English_Usage" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garner%27s_Modern_English_Usag...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://github.com/borges-paradise/DFW/blob/master/dfw-authority-american-usage.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/borges-paradise/DFW/blob/master/dfw-autho...</a><p>[3] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_the_Lobster" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_the_Lobster</a>