A great book. It sits next to Hall's and Quinn's books on the prescriptivist-vs.-descriptivist shelves (thanks for suggesting Quinn a while back). (Alas, though, it has been my observation that those most in need of a linguistic clue are those most immune to it.) Another good book in this respect is Ronald Wardhaugh's Proper English: Myths and Misunderstandings About Language.

Have there ever been experiments to teach grammar school grammar via introspection? If native speakers, kids have already wired the machinery. And they have some abstraction capabilities. I naively imagine that starred counterexamples would be fun while working out how the language they already know works.

I know it's complicated by also learning a higher, written register (which in some cases may be close to a whole other language). And spelling (which in French reveals more than the spoken language has or at least more of it).

You've grossly overestimated the usual level of coherence of conversations about sports.

This book was required reading for my Sociolinguistics class taught by Robin Lakoff at UCB. I absolutely loved it, for both its breadth and simplicity. I often reference it when explaining what the hell this linguistic hokey-pokey is all about.

I agree with JSE, most sports fans (and columnists) are actually shockingly ignorant about sports, but are perfectly willing and able to proffer all sorts of no-nothing opinions without fear of factual rebuttal. I think that is precisely why so many people enjoy talking about sports.

I picked up "Language Myths" last year for $4.99 new at one of those discount book warehouses in Tilton, NH. It was my steal of the summer.