because (x)

I see grammar has loosened up again, largely because Twitter, I imagine.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Let's start with the dull stuff, because pragmatism.

The word "because," in standard English usage, is a subordinating conjunction, which means that it connects two parts of a sentence in which one (the subordinate) explains the other. In that capacity, "because" has two distinct forms. It can be followed either by a finite clause (I'm reading this because [I saw it on the web]) or by a prepositional phrase (I'm reading this because [of the web]). These two forms are, traditionally, the only ones to which "because" lends itself.

I mention all that ... because language. Because evolution. Because there is another way to use "because." Linguists are calling it the "prepositional-because." Or the "because-noun."

You probably know it better, however, as explanation by way of Internet—explanation that maximizes efficiency and irony in equal measure. I'm late because YouTube. You're reading this because procrastination. As the language writer Stan Carey delightfully sums it up: "'Because' has become a preposition, because grammar."

-- Megan Garber at The Atlantic

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Pop

Pop makes it in from his unplanned weekend with Kay. The first thing, having barely walked inside the door, he reminds me that it is time for the city’s brush pick-up. So, I go outside to carry what loose tree limbs we have to the front. While my thoughts and nerves are a little jangled and hostile, it occurs to me what may have been the end result of Kay’s little personal emergency, the one which had her crying her heart out to Pop. He probably had to dig into his credit line and drop a load of cash her way. Love, like everything else, is all about trade.

The Natural World

Gentoo Penguin by Jean-François Hic on Flickr.

( Read more... )