in language, to tell them what's right and wrong in spelling, meaning, and usage.There's a problem with that, says William Lutz, emeritus professor of English at Rutgers-Camden and a veteran of the language wars.
"Dictionaries can't do it," he says. "They never could. They weren't designed to do it, and they shouldn't be expected to."
Why? Language is a living process that never stops.
from John Timpane: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Dictionary charts the ins and outs of word usage
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At a certain point, Hannibal decided to face the growing threat of Rome, so he organized armies and elephants, and trekked overland into Italy, crossing the Alps in a move that still transfixes, still takes the breath away. He fought the Roman army on Italian soil, escaped traps, showed a brilliant flair for both diplomacy and strategy, and, at the height, inflicted on Rome the worst military loss in its history, wrecking Rome's army at the battle of Cannae. He stayed and fought on Italian soil for 15 years.
from John Timpane: The Philadelphia Inquirer: A rival to ancient Rome that paid the ultimate price
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