…Whose English will prevail? The top-down English of academics, politicians, and journalists, of the Associated Press, the Modern Language Association, Merriam-Webster, and the Human Rights Campaign? Or the natural, evolving English of speakers and writers operating without imposed constraints?
This is a tough question to answer, because language is more than a tool for communication and cognition. It is also an institution in society, and like all institutions is subject to corruption and capture by those with political agendas. …All of this is the subject of my recent paper, which considers the question of top-down imposition versus natural evolution in the context of recent political phenomena like Brexit, Trump, transgenderism, Black Lives Matter, “equity,” and social justice.
