There was a pamphlet by Swift, suggesting ways of "Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue".
To argue differently is to line up behind Jonathan Swift and the prescriptivists (see Swift's essay "A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue").
He said that in a marketplace filled with copies and fakes, his role is limited to identifying the age and culture of objects and ascertaining that they are genuine.
Yet the art of talking, listening and ascertaining the truth seems more elusive than ever in this Internet and cable age, lost in a bitter stream of blather and misinformation.
These early works grew out of earlier traditions, and ascertaining the dates of their final versions helps in no way to estimate the actual age or reliability of much of the material they contain.
A second attempt was made in 1712, when Jonathan Swift addressed an open letter to Robert Harley, earl of Oxford, then Lord Treasurer, making "A Proposal for Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining [fixing] the English Tongue".
I am always surprised when people assume, as Rosen does here, that Jonathan Swift was being completely serious when he wrote "A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue", but in general he has a pleasingly wise set of opinions.
The Football Association has thrown its full support behind Roy Hodgson after speaking directly to every member of the national squad involved in Tuesday's World Cup qualifying victory over Poland and ascertaining that none had taken offence at the punchline to a "space monkey" joke Hodgson had relayed at half-time.
Sexual offences are under-reported and ascertaining accurate offence numbers is difficult.
Additional prospective studies better addressing causality and ascertaining valid lifetime concussion histories and medical histories are needed.
Numerous instruments are under investigation to determine their usefulness in imaging and ascertaining a correct in vivo diagnosis of melanoma.
