Descriptivism vs. prescriptivism: a debate with my 7-year-old
August 1, 2014
“What is that place?” asked my son, pointing to a tan building at the corner of North 80th Street and Aurora Avenue North.
“They sell tires,” I said.
“Are they good?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never bought tires there.”
“But you do THINK they’re good?”
“I really don’t know, Phil.”
“If you had to guess, what would your guess be?”
“Well, they spelled the word ‘tires’ wrong, which doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.”
“How did they spell it?”
“T-I-R-S. They left out the E.”
“But you could still read it, right?”
Yes, I could. It was a fair point.
My Track Record 
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