inquire V's enquire

• Patrick OConnor
• Posted at 12:46 pm on Fri, Nov 18, 2011

A conversation I recently had, brought up the difference in Effect and Affect and other confusing words (homophones). Effect being the noun and Affect being the verb. It was then asked "Is there an easy way to distinguish between inquire and enquire?" The Language Arts teacher in our conversation said it was the same test as with e/affect....but wait... maybe it isn't.
The answer? same word. Same meaning. Different spelling. 'Inquire' being preferred by Brits and 'enquire' being preferred by Yanks.
    http://www.dailywritingtips.com/inquire-vs-enquire/
I like language. I studied linguistics as an undergrad. By linguistic experts, it is generally agreed that language is dynamic, organic and constantly evolving. Grammar 'rules' and 'spelling' are commonly accepted norms to aid in mutual understanding. The function of a language is 'mutual understanding'. If a text has any sorts of errors, should it be corrected if the intended meaning is unambiguous and it still remains perfectly understandable? Your getting my point, right? Or maybe you just missed it.
It's a can of worms. The bottom line comes down to audience. Will the text be mutually understandable? What other messages get sent by errors? How much do we 'police' language correction?
Patrick O'Connor
Visual Arts Teacher KIS International School
Artist
THAILAND
www.itsapatoconnor.blogspot.com