That and which (Was : Re: A language issue (comment))

[Rodney Dunning <dunnirb4@WFU.EDU>]

The 'rule' people are referring to ("use the relative pronoun 'that'- not
which- for restrictive clauses") was invented out of whole cloth by Henry
and Francis Fowler in a 1906 Grammar text (_The King's English_). The
Fowler's decided on everyone else's behalf that the random variation between
'that' and 'which' in restrictive clauses was messy. After Francis died in
1918, Henry produced _A Dictionary of Modern English Usage_. He discusses
that vs. which for about a page, but then writes, "Some there are who follow
this principle now; but it would be idle to pretend that it is the practice
either of the most or of the best writers (pg. 635)."

Personally, I follow Joseph Williams' reasoning on this (and other) points:
if a vast number of competent English writers use 'that' and 'which'
interchangeably, and the vast majority of careful, educated readers don't
notice, then there is no 'rule' regarding these words, regardless of what
the Fowlers or anyone else says.

See Williams, _Style, Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace_, pg. 22-24. (It's at
amazon.com, btw.)

--
Rodney Dunning
voice: x4977
e-mail: dunnirb4@wfu.edu
URL: http://www.wfu.edu/users/dunnirb4


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Schweber" <edschweb@IX.NETCOM.COM>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Friday, September 29, 2000 2:15 PM
Subject: Re: A language issue (comment)


> Leigh Palmer wrote (in part)
>
> > I have an annoying grammatical problem. I frequently misuse "which"
> > and "that".
>
> Leigh and others:
>
>    I seem to recall that Skunk and White say in their well known language
> manual that  "that" and "which"an be used interchangeably.
>
> Ed Schweber