Grammar nazi

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Grammar nazi, spelling nazi and language nazi are all terms used to describe a participant in a discussion, online or otherwise, who criticizes or corrects the language usage of another participant. Such a person is often accused of flaming as a result of finding fault with minor details of other participants' messages and often only in opinions with which the accused grammar nazi disagrees. Participants in these discussions often end up taking opposite sides in a prescription versus description debate.

Use of these terms is often considered derogatory. However, some people do view grammar nazism as a virtue rather than a flaw and insist upon strict usage of the language in question. These individuals are more likely to wear the badge of "grammar nazi" with pride and can even refer to themselves in this manner. In some situations, a more relaxed method of speech or prose may be appropriate; it is these situations in which grammar nazis are more commonly chastised.

The many exceptions and intricacies of English language spelling can present a problem for even the most experienced user. In addition, the instantaneous nature of the Internet discourages careful editing of one's posts before submission. This, combined with the possibility of typographical errors, often makes it very easy to find a spelling error in a message with which a user could choose to find fault. In other languages with more regular spelling, other grammatical features might be criticized, such as use of the subjunctive mood or the placement of diacritics.

The grammar nazi's method of argument often ignores the content of another user's argument and focuses on its quality, distracting from the issue at hand. This method may become an ad hominem attack, which is a logical fallacy. On the other hand, errors and stylistic flaws may themselves make an argument hard to follow, and for this reason they may be deliberately introduced by trolls.

[edit] Origin of the phrase

The term "grammar nazi", along with similar coinings such as "spelling nazi", "soup nazi", and "food nazi", comes indirectly from the Nazis, members of the National Socialist German Workers Party under Adolf Hitler. The original reason for adopting this metaphor was that the person concerned stuck obsessively to rules and implemented them in an aggressive manner; obsessiveness, rule-making and aggression are considered characteristic of Nazis. However, as used today the phrase has no direct connection to fascism, in the same way that accusing someone of being a philistine does not mean they are from Philistia or say anything about people who today live in Canaan, or calling someone a vandal does not mean they are actually connected to that German tribe. The fact that these nouns have lost their original capital letter is an indication that they have become part of everyday speech with few people considering the origins of these terms when using them.

Nonetheless, these uses are offensive to some, as the controversy in the popular press over the Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" episode indicates, but still the terms are used so frequently as to inspire "Godwin's Law". Alternatives used in some circles include "grammar police", "grammar cop" (a term that Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings admitted was an accurate description of himself), and even the trademarked "Grammer Cop", intentionally misspelled.