The Erin McKean lovefest continues

An interview with Erin McKean on prescriptivism vs. descriptivism, from 2004.

Here's a quote:

I think that there needs to be a let-off of prescriptivist steam. I mean, I get annoyed by it too. I was in a movie theater watching those ads on the screen, those movie factoids. It was something about Owen Wilson, and they made a verb transitive that in my opinion is not transitive, and I was gettin' kind of grumpy about it. And my husband was sitting next to me and he said, 'Uh huh, see? Even you are prescriptivist.'

That reminds me: Every time my partner and I hear begs the question, his head snaps around to see my reaction. But I can get by these days without so much as a sharp intake of breath. I'm so over begs the question, as I've mentioned. Lately, I've been focusing my complaints against too-loud motorcycles. Why are they allowed?