The Guild of Grammar-Nazis: Introducing the Ivory Tower

And I, good sir, see your logo and raise you:

Something, as Arch Grammar-Nazi, I wield with great aplomb. :p

{edit}
Lol at the misspelling of "Nazis". :D

 

Oh the ironing!

(Actually it's coincidence, but whatever)

 

Part of the problem, Eric, is that loose usage of 'grammar' means it can refer to many specific (but starkly different) things including, but not limited to:

1. Syntax (i.e. the structure of language).
2. Morphology (i.e. the composition of words within a language).
3. Semantics (i.e. the meanings carried by words within a given structure within a given language setting/context).
4. The study of syntax and/or morphology and/or semantics.
5. The language used in the study of s/m/s.
6. A book on the study of s/m/s.
7. Someone who studies s/m/s.
8. Someone who teaches the study of s/m/s.
9. A educational facility that includes as part of its curriculum the study of s/m/s and/or the meta-study of the s/m/s used in the study of s/m/s.
10. Punctuation.
11. Spelling.
12. Vocabulary.
13. Anything written down.
14. The act of writing anything down.
15. Language itself.
16. Etc. etc. etc...

Of course, it's harder to make some of those applications stick as well as others, but that's only because they're not as commonly used in today's parlance . The key to it all is context, which means that in the case of 'grammar Nazi' (as it is commonly used) 'grammar' simply refers to 'appropriate use of language' (something you'll notice isn't even on the above list).

As Beaster said, nice try. :) However, perhaps you might give thought to joining the Guild of Grammar-Nazis (or at least taking note of the guild charter and in-house rules) before offering further lexical admonishment? ;)

 

Can say personally that I almost never hear of grammar encompassing spelling, which is why they are usually referred to as 'grammar and spelling', even at a college level.

 

True, but when you compare it so some of the other things on my list (like, say, #14) and then consider that I have drawn every single one of them from personal encounters with usages of 'grammar' you begin to see how scarily important shared definitions and correct assessments of context are to everyday communication.

In the right setting, even 'grammaring' a letter to the folks back home is acceptable usage... X3

[NB: usage #11, spelling, occurred about 6 months ago between two Bach. Ed. students sitting behind me in the 'silent study' area of the campus library --> I was so appalled by their shared usage that I forgot to tell them off for talking. Seriously, "I don't know how to spell that, never cared much for grammar at school." "Yeah, me neither!" coming from two future teachers = scarey much? HELLS YES! ]