note TimToady Being a linguist does not prevent one from wanting to make fine distinctions when such distinctions are useful. Being a linguist also means that you understand it's okay to ignore those distinctions when they aren't useful. Case distinctions are particularly nice when you want to have it both ways. I have several T-shirts in my closet that say PERL, and yes, that does bother me just a little. Nevertheless, I do not refuse to wear them because of that. A linguist cannot afford to confuse utility with principle. 510594 510836