Snit
"ZnU" <znu@fake.invalid>stated in post znu-CE86DE.03111603072006@individual.net on 7/3/06 12:11 AM:

ZnU
In article <ik1qg.42622$x.289821@weber.videotron.net>, NRen2k5 <nomore@email.com>wrote:

NRen2k5
Snit wrote:

Snit
"NRen2k5" <nomore@email.com>stated in post %80qg.40046$x.269667@weber.videotron.net on 7/2/06 8:28 PM:

NRen2k5
Buuut, in modern times, it's *acceptable* to use an apostrophe when pluralizing any initialism.

Snit
Common, yes. Acceptable... well, but many people, but it is not accepted as being grammatically correct by linguists. None that I have read, anyway.

NRen2k5
I prefer to take the linguists' side whenever possible, since taking the people's side means accepting nonsensical words like "irregardless". I cringe whenever I hear that.

ZnU
The problem with paying too much attention to what "experts" say is that they can often be pretty pig-headed. We heard for years that you weren't supposed to split infinitives in English, but this is nonsense. You're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, but in some cases avoiding it requires very unnatural word order.

The latest annoyance is that one isn't supposed to use "they" and "their" for singular subjects of unknown gender... despite the fact that examples of this in the English language date back over 700 years, the construction has been used by some of the most respected writers in the language, and avoiding it often results in extremely awkward sentences.

Actual linguists -- not grammar Nazis -- understand that language is defined by usage, and spend their time looking at how it's used, rather than telling people how they should use it.

Snit
Do you not see a place for setting standards for grammar? Do you think that Apple is using the language correctly as they state:

"no no do not be a hero, ***LAST YEAR*** there are 114,000 known viruses for PCs." [emphasis mine, poor grammar Apple's]

The ad in question: <http://snipurl.com/viruswhatvirus> Quote in question (slowed down): <http://snipurl.com/Slow_Quote>