Edited American English

Question

A letter to the Guardian made use of this term. I get a bare 1,735 googlehits for it. This website is pretty typical of the way academic sites explain it.
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/adulted/ged/educator/EAE.htm

This one is not so felicitous:
http://www.ciesc.k12.in.us/adulted/page.asp?bd=gedfaq&hd=gedfaq top

"It is the basic knowledge of various punctuation, capitalization, and proper grammar usage." (sic)
Anyway, is EAE an accepted norm? Who is the arbiter in case of disputes? Is there a summary of rules anywhere (in one place)?
John Dean
Oxford

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Anyway, is EAE an accepted norm? Who is the arbiter in case of disputes?[/nq]
I believe that in this, as in all matters concerning all varieties of English, this forum is the universally recognized authority.

Except, of course, when the a.u.e. consensus does not agree with my opinion. Then its authority is recognized universally minus one.

Gary Williams

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]A letter to the Guardian made use of this term. I get a bare 1,735 googlehits for it. This website is pretty typical of the way academic sites explain it. http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/adulted/ged/educator/EAE.htm[/nq]
Am I right that it's some kind of PC bollocks? To quote the above webpage:

"Edited American English (EAE) is fundamentally the same as Standard Written English (SWE), i.e. those conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics that writers and speakers adhere to in order to communicate effectively. In 1997, the Writing Test Specifications Committee in planning for the 2002-Series GED Tests aligned itself with the National Council of Teachers of English who use EAE as the norm for the variety of English that is most used by educated speakers of the language.
"For writers, the significance is that they must still employ a style, grammar, and usage that allows a mutual level of comprehension and understanding among educated speakers and writers. For example, EAE still governs when to use who or whom, is or are, pronoun forms, parallel constructions, and sentence structure basically, only the name has changed.
"One reason for the change is perception. Any writing that is not standard is, therefore, substandard. The change to the term EAE offsets the negative impact that an examinee may feel in interpreting his or her writing as substandard. The Committee wanted to remove any impediment that may negatively impact an examinee's future performance.

"Source for the description of EAE is Zarina Hock, NCTE's Director of Publications."
In other words, it means the same as "Standard Written English" (SWE) but some committee has taken it upon itself to invent a new term because its members feel that the term SWE might hurt someone's feelings. Okay, that's bad enough. What's worse is the choice of replacement. Why EAE? What's the significance of the word "edited"? To have a term whose meaning is unclear is surely worse than to have a term whose meaning is, apparently, all too clear. Is there anyone left in any position of authority who has the least bit of common sense?
Is Kafka the new Bible?
Adrian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Except, of course, when the a.u.e. consensus does not agree with my opinion.[/nq]
I'm trying to remember when aue last reached a consensus about anything.

Rob Bannister

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Except, of course, when the a.u.e. consensus does not agree with my opinion.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm trying to remember when aue last reached a consensus about anything.[/nq]
Don't be ridiculous, we reach consensuses all the time. Or is it consensi? Consensii?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I'm trying to remember when aue last reached a consensus about anything.[/nq]
[nq:1]Don't be ridiculous, we reach consensuses all the time. Or is it consensi? Consensii?[/nq]
Don't confuse me. Of course, C and N are fairly close together on the keyboard.

Rob Bannister

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Except, of course, when the a.u.e. consensus does not agree with my opinion.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm trying to remember when aue last reached a consensus about anything.[/nq]
If we did then talking to you would be like talking to me, for all of us, and where's the fun in that?

Charles Riggs

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Am I right that it's some kind of PC bollocks? To quote the above webpage: "One reason for the change ... term EAE offsets the negative impact that an examinee may feel in interpreting his or > her writing as substandard.[/nq]
I'm with you. For one thing, the writer has presumed that the opposite of "standard" is "sub-standard". In reality, writing which is not of the standard variety is "non-standard". Except when I ignore a convention; then I like to think that my writing is "supra-standard".
[nq:1]Why EAE? What's the significance of the word "edited"?[/nq]
Agreed again. Many people here can spontaneously produce writing that conforms closely to the conventions of Standard Written English without resort to an editor, or even to self-editing.

Gary Williams
To have a term whose meaning is unclear

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]is surely worse than to have a term whose meaning ... bit of common sense? Is Kafka the new Bible? Adrian[/nq]
Oh, yes, PC. Partly.
It's partly so the English teachers can prove they're doing something for the self-esteem of the poor kids they're not bothering to teach.

Cece

Edited American English

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