[mturmon]

You're implying that there is some kind of well-accepted notion of Bryan Garner being a poor guide to usage, but you link to some articles that are just nitpicking small terminology differences.

The second link in particular is tendentious. It claims Garner gives "a savage indictment of the behavior and character of those who use Stage 1 words [new usages]" in his book MAU.

But if you follow to the linked page from MAU, you read that Garner is, in an appendix, giving a series of wry analogies for the process of acceptance of new terms -- not a savage indictment at all. In other words, Garner is not himself saying all new usages have "a grade of F", etc., he's saying that is how some new usages will be perceived, in a very gross and qualitative sense, by a strict static conception of the language.

Since Garner comes right out and explicitly says all of the above, the link you cite comes off as picking a fight. There's nothing there.

Having read MAU (back in its first edition), I have to say that Garner strikes me as a very good guide to usage. I still enjoy perusing the book.

Taken as a whole, do you really have significant issues with MAU as a usage guide?

[zimpenfish]

> some kind of well-accepted notion of Bryan Garner being a poor guide to usage

Wasn't my intention - merely pointing out that he's not a linguist and making simple errors should give anyone using him as an "authority" considerable pause.

> do you really have significant issues with MAU as a usage guide?

I am neither an American nor a linguist - which makes me doubly unqualified to comment. That I leave to experts.