name as in Lego the company, like Facebook the app. The Lego pieces aren’t called Legos, like how the individual Facebook users aren’t called Facebooks
Hi, actual linguist here! Rare, I know. Anyway, the meaning of a word is how it's used, so while you're right that Lego is a proper noun, that's not all it is. We call Lego pieces various things, including Lego bricks or just Legos (at least in America we do. This whole comment is focusing on the North American dialects of English). If I were to ask someone to get me some Legos from the toy store, they would know what I mean without any confusion (provided they are familiar enough with the bricks). Legos as a term could be a shortening that we've decided to use, but the reason for the term existing doesn't matter here. The term exists and people understand it without trouble, so "Legos" is a valid plural noun. The reason "Facebooks" isn't a valid term for Facebook users is the fact that no one would understand you if you said that; no one uses that term. But if you started using it, and people started understanding and using it as well, then that would change. Language is a very fluid thing.
In short, yes, you can call Lego pieces "Legos," at least if you speak the North American dialects. If not then good for you, I'm not as well versed in the intricacies of the other dialect groups. But neither you nor the company can prescribe to the people how they use their language. If people use "Legos" to refer to the bricks, then that's what the word means.
But neither you nor the company can prescribe to the people how they use their language.
This is actually a very interesting and somewhat English-centric point (of course, we are talking about English now, so it makes sense in this case).
English is mainly a descriptive language because it essentially says: "If the people use a certain word, that makes it correct." Many other languages, though, are mainly prescriptive. They have central authorities that prescribe what is and is not a "correct" word usage, grammar, etc. In many cases, lots of words are frequently used in these languages by the people, yet these words are not considered to be correct.
Im a Slovak, and we have that central authority. If you actually started speaking fully correct Slovak you would sound like you were teleported here from the 14th century, and said authority is a laughing stock. So just because some countries try to do it, it rarely works out (Czech is the exact same story btw)
I'm a Czech, actually, and I think our authority works wonderfully. I don't know about Slovak, but the grammatically correct use of Czech definitely does not make you sound like you are from the 14th century. Plenty of people speak (almost) fully correct Czech and it is considered completely normal.
bcs Deník (Diary) with one N makes sense, yes you could propably speak it mostly correct, but theres no way youre writing it correct. Like Dvestý is correctly dvojstý (twohundreth), Hranolky are corrctly Hranolčeky (Fries) and so on
I do, in fact, write it correctly, as do many of my friends, though I agree that certain spelling rules are somewhat stupid (in particular the double letters). Otherwise, I am completely on board.
I don't want the Czech language to be destroyed by ugly words like dvouma (when the correct version is dvěma) or bysme (when the correct version is bychom), just because some people are unable to speak properly or did not pay attention in school.
I might be a bit care-free in this regard... but honestly as long as people can understand each other, whats the point? I agree "dvouma" sounds really dump but I can understand it so like... why care?
For a Slovak example, "neni" isnt correct in Slovak but literally everyone uses it, despite the correct version being "nie je" which somehow sounds dumper.
I don't want the Czech language to be destroyed by ugly words like dvouma (when the correct version is dvěma) or bysme (when the correct version is bychom), just because some people are unable to speak properly or did not pay attention in school.
You're attempting to fight a pointless, hopeless battle. On the scale of centuries and millennia, linguistic prescriptivism is an inherently foolhardy endeavor. The language you love will change, no matter where in the world it is from and what society speaks it, and that is completely normal.
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u/pc_player_yt Jul 30 '24
name as in Lego the company, like Facebook the app. The Lego pieces aren’t called Legos, like how the individual Facebook users aren’t called Facebooks