It would be reasonable for you to say that here at Language Log we take language pretty damn seriously. Guilty as charged. It is pretty much part of our job description. But don't ever overlook the fact that sometimes big money is riding on the things we take so seriously. See this article in the New York Times for a brief account of a case in which a comma marking the end of a parenthetical coordinate clause is going to cost one or the other of two companies a million Canadian dollars (US $888,000). Here at Language Log we know the answer to the question of whether the court ruled correctly on the grammatical question, but since this case is almost certainly going to be appealed, and we are almost certainly going to be called to testify to the court in an expert witness capacity on the relevant linguistic points (and not pro bono, either), it would be both improper and unwise for us to reveal that answer here.
[Thanks to Malcolm McClure for pointing out the news item.]
Posted by Geoffrey K. Pullum at October 25, 2006 06:06 PM