Thanks for all this research for the purposes of clarification. Yes, I forgot to note that the name of the language is "Arabic" not "Arabian." Ironic that the error I failed to mention in that section of the lyric is the most indisputable error :-)
In re "or be even made a knight," I don't know what to say. That still sounds and looks wrong to me, far less preferable to "or even be made knight." And regardless of what Garner wrote or what Fowler believes, I don't think "or even be made knight" sounds in the least awkward or unidiomatic.
I'm glad my original post has led to such detailed discussion, because I think it's good for us all to be reminded that not everything is cut and dried when it comes to "rules" of grammar and usage. |
