The OF/FOR Controversy

The OF / FOR Controversy

The picture above was taken in the friary library here at St. Anthony.  The third line says, (in case it does not read well) "Long Essays For Former Students".  In fact the long essays are written by former students and therefore the sign should read "Long Essays of Former Students". Now I have to admit when I first saw this sign the teacher in me wanted to correct the grammar. I resisted that temptation. I was reminded of a time a few months ago when I ran across another misuse of the word OF. This occurred when I was still in Uganda living at the Novitiate.  

The Novitiate is on the top of a hill and I was making my way somewhere and I encounter two novices walking up the hill. We met half way down the hill.  I noticed one of the Novices had in his hand a black plastic bag, so obviously they had been shopping at the markets at the bottom of the hill.  We stopped and I inquired what had they purchased.  The novice opened the bag and said proudly, "Legs of dogs."  At the same time I peered into the bag and saw what looked like furry legs. My face must of had an expression of horror on it because the Novice quickly added, "Legs for dogs."  They had purchased legs of slaughtered goats that would be cooked to feed the three dogs that we had.  I told him that was very different and we parted and I was relieved that nothing horrible had happened to our dogs and thought that prepositions can save a life. 

Now, I know that one of the many things that makes English hard to learn is the subtle use of prepositions.  One little word can mean many different things depending on context.  For example the word "of" is defined in seven different ways. "OF" is used to indicate direction, origin and identity to name three.  "FOR" of the other hand has 32 different meanings.  That's a lot!  All this is according to a web site I found (www.dictionary.com)  

Correct or not to correct?  Do I begin a crusade to eradicate improper syntax wherever it is found? How far should I go to ensure proper English usage?  Will I run the risk of being a grammar goon? I think not. English needs to grow and it grows through use. My judgments aside, is it my business to correct others intent?  Meaning is conveyed regardless and that is the whole point of language; communicating intent.  Take the above photo. Anyone who is a former student would not be in this library looking for reading material (trust me on that fact). That person has moved on to bigger and better things. So if the Long Essays are not for former students then they must be of them instead.   

Language is intimately linked with culture and in some ways language at the same time reflects the culture. I live in a culture in which English is second (or sometimes third or forth) language a person may know. It is the colonizing language of the victors of a long ago struggle that is still being played out as Kenya and all of Africa strive to overcome colonialism through sustained development.  Maybe its time for English to evolve into a much friendlier language with simpler rules. Maybe the above is a truly a sign of such an evolution. Let's hope for God. Remember it's all gift.