Spanish rain in July

I was thinking about Eliza Doolittle yesterday for two reasons. One, it was raining. Two, I listened to a group of teachers discuss teaching grammar to students who acted as if English was a second language. They debated if teenagers could learn "proper" English or if it was too late. One teacher reminded them of cultural sensitivity and didn't like the way "proper" was culturally aligned with one group of kids and "uncultured" with another. The truth is, even in jolly ol' England, the linguistic war is a part of the power battlefield. Language is power. Those who know the game of formal English have tools that will allow them access to different lives. The reverse is true and we need to keep all languages in mind when discussing what it means to communicate. Personally, I'd hate to be in a world of Professor Higgins. Yet, they exist. The rest of us are in their petri dish being studied as imbecilic speakers of the English tongue. Knowing they are out there is a good way to be cautious, indeed. I display the quirky song to note that G. Bernard Shaw was a genius.