{"id":444,"date":"2019-01-12T14:24:12","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T14:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=444"},"modified":"2019-04-14T16:32:27","modified_gmt":"2019-04-14T16:32:27","slug":"episode-11-fewer-than-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=444","title":{"rendered":"Episode 11 &#8211; Fewer than Less"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Episode 11 &amp;#8211; Fewer than Less\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2019-01-12T14:24:12+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT15M22S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this episode I discuss the distinction between between less and fewer, and commonly-held beliefs about English grammar and usage. I investigate where these 'rules' and practises originated and find out who is responsible.\nLess &amp;amp; Fewer\nLess was...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"14.1\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_9694\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-444-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\">http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=444-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"episode11.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this episode I discuss the distinction between between less and fewer, and commonly-held beliefs about English grammar and usage. I investigate where these &#8216;rules&#8217; and practises originated and find out who is responsible.<\/p>\n<h3>Less &amp; Fewer<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Less<\/strong> was used to mean fewer, i.e. a smaller number of from the 9th century. From the 11th century it was being used to mean smaller or lesser &#8211; a comparative form of little. By the 14th century it was being used to mean a smaller amount (of) or not as much.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from the Old English <em>l\u01e3s<\/em> (less), from the Proto-Germanic <em>*laisiz<\/em> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/less#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fewer<\/strong> is used to mean a smaller number of something, and is generally used before plural countable things. For example, fewer words, fewer letters.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from few, from the Middle English <em>fewe<\/em> (few, little, not many; small, little), from the Old English <em>f\u0113aw<\/em> (few), from the Proto-Germanic <em>*fawaz<\/em> (few), from Proto-Indo-European <em>*peh\u2082w-<\/em> (few, small). [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/few#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>In his 1770 book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.uk\/books?id=9iYusfpmmR0C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=REFLECTIONS+ON+THE+ENGLISH+LANGUAGE&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjsupnepuPfAhULUBUIHRnQANcQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">REFLECTIONS ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: In The Nature of VAUGELAS&#8217;s REFLECTIONS ON THE FRENCH; Being a Detection of many improper Expre\u017f\u017fions u\u017fed in Conver\u017fation, and of many others to be found in AUTHORS.<\/a><\/em> (p 55), Robert Baker wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;LESS. This word is mo\u017ft commonly u\u017fed in \u017fpeaking of a number; where I \u017fhould think <em>Fewer<\/em> would do better. <em>No fewer than a Hundred<\/em>, appears to me not only more elegant than <em>No le\u017fs than a Hundred<\/em>, but more \u017ftrictly proper.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a reproduction of the original text:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/less.gif\" alt=\"Robert Baker on Less and Fewer\" width=\"417\" height=\"202\"><\/p>\n<h3>Splitting Infinitives<\/h3>\n<p>In his 1866 book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/pleaforqueenseng00alfouoft\/page\/188\">A PLEA FOR THE QUEEN&#8217;S ENGLISH: Stray Notes on Speaking and Spelling<\/a><\/em> (p 188), Henry Alford, Dean of Canterbury, wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A correspondent states as his own usage, and defends, the insertion of an adverb between the sign of the infinitive mood and the verb. He gives as an instance, \u201c<em>to scientifically illustrate.<\/em>\u201d  But surely this is a practice unknown to English speakers and writers. It seems to me, that we ever regard the <em>to<\/em> of the infinitive as inseparable from its verb. And when we have already a choice between two forms of expression, \u201cscientifically to illustrate,\u201d and \u201cto illustrate scientifically,\u201d there seems no good reason for flying in the face of common usage.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a reproduction of the original text:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/infinitives.gif\" alt=\"Henry Alford on infinitives\" width=\"527\" height=\"382\"><\/p>\n<h3>Ending sentences with prepositions<\/h3>\n<p>In his 1763 book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.uk\/books?id=tqgifS7RsAkC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">A Short Introduction to English Grammer: With Critical Notes<\/a><\/em> (p 141), the Right Rev. Robert Lowth, D.D. Lord Bishop of Oxford, wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Prepo\u017fition is often \u017feparated from the Relative which it governs, and joined to the Verb at the end of the Sentence, or of \u017fome member of it: as, \u201cHorace is an author, <em>whom<\/em> I am much delighted <em>with<\/em>.\u201d \u201cThe world is too well bred to \u017fhock authors with a truth, <em>which<\/em> generally their book\u017fellers are the fir\u017ft that inform them <em>of<\/em>.&#8221; This is an Idiom which our language is \u017ftrongly inclined to; it prevails in common conver\u017fation, and \u017fuits very well with the familiar \u017ftyle in writing; but the placing of the Prepo\u017fition before the Relative is more graceful as well as more per\u017fpicuous; and agrees much better with the \u017folemn and elevated Style.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a reproduction of the original text:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/prepositions.gif\" alt=\"Robert Lowth on prepositions\" width=\"452\" height=\"474\"><\/p>\n<h3>Double negatives<\/h3>\n<p>In his 1711 book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.uk\/books?id=HGTSv8d1ZVIC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=Essay+towards+a+practical+English+Grammar&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiXvcbigubfAhUeRBUIHaB0BmEQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&amp;q=two%20negatives&amp;f=false\">An Essay Towards a Practical Engli\u017fh Grammar, Describing the Genius and Nature of the English Tounge; Giving Likewi\u017fe A Rational and Plain Account of Grammar in General, with a familiar Explanation of its Terms.<\/a><\/em> (p 182), James Greenwood, Sur-Master of St. Paul&#8217;s School, wrote:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Two <em>Negatives<\/em>, or two <em>Adverbs<\/em> of <em>Denying<\/em>, do in <em>Engli\u017fh<\/em> affirm.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a reproduction of the original text:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/2negs.gif\" alt=\"James Greenwood on double negatives\" width=\"467\" height=\"41\"><\/p>\n<p>In the 1794 edition of Robert Lowth&#8217;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.uk\/books?id=xYcSAAAAIAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=A+Short+Introduction+to+English+Grammar+1862&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwil6N3LhObfAhVsVBUIHZSrBUgQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">A Short Introduction to English Grammer: With Critical Notes<\/a><\/em> (p 132), he wrote that:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Two Negatives in Engli\u017fh de\u017ftroy one another, or are equivalent to an Affirmative.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a reproduction of the original text:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/blog\/2negs2.gif\" alt=\"Robert Lowth on double negatives\" width=\"488\" height=\"166\"><\/p>\n<h3>Tunes played in this epsiode<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The Salmon&#8217;s Leap \/ Naid yr Eog<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/370830239&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<strong>The Kettle \/ Y Tecell<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/412133730&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<strong>The Swellies \/ Pwll Ceris<\/strong><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/397889538&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>These and other myths about English are discussed on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.grammarphobia.com\/grammar-html\">The Grammarphobia Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>More information and sources<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fewer_versus_less\">Wikipedia<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visualthesaurus.com\/cm\/wc\/less-usage-problems\/\">Visual Thesaurus<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/corpus.byu.edu\/glowbe\/\">Corpus of Global Web-Based English<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/googlebooks.byu.edu\/\">Google Books Corpus<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.inkyfool.com\/2010\/05\/prepositions-end-of-sentences-at.html\">Inky Fool<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Episode 11 &amp;#8211; Fewer than Less\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2019-01-12T14:24:12+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT15M22S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this episode I discuss the distinction between between less and fewer, and commonly-held beliefs about English grammar and usage. I investigate where these 'rules' and practises originated and find out who is responsible.\nLess &amp;amp; Fewer\nLess was...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"14.1\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_9695\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-444-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\">http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=444-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/radio\/episode11.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"episode11.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this episode I discuss the distinction between between less and fewer, and commonly-held beliefs about English grammar and usage. I investigate where these &#8216;rules&#8217; and practises originated and find out who is responsible. Less &amp; Fewer Less was used to mean fewer, i.e. a smaller number of from the 9th century. From the 11th [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,56,54,4,58,55,57,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english","category-etymology","category-grammar","category-language","category-middle-english","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=444"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":614,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444\/revisions\/614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}