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It has just come to my attention that some consider ‘the reason why’ ungrammatical or otherwise unfortunate. David Crystal mentions it in his introduction to Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, and this Oxford dictionary

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/reason

says that

Many people object to the construction the reason why …, on the grounds that the subordinate clause should express a statement, using a that-clause, not imply a question with a why-clause: the reason (that) I decided not to phone rather than the reason why I decided not to phone. The reason why has been called a redundancy to be avoided, but it is a mild one, and idiomatic.

As far as I can see, these ‘grounds’ are a misunderstanding. ‘Why’ does not ‘imply a question’ any more than ‘where’ in ‘the place where he was born’. It seems perfectly reasonable to me to say

the reason for which

which is the same as

the reason wherefore

which is the same, I would think, as

the reason why

So what is the problem with ‘the reason why’? I can see neither illogic nor redundancy in the construction. It is, of course, possible and often preferable simply to say ‘the reason he ..’ and ‘the place he ..’, but surely not always, and the objection seems to be stronger than that. Besides, I would rather say these are cases of omitting the relative adverb than call the full formulations redundant. Is the objection simply -- as it appears to be -- based on a misunderstanding?

Toothrot
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  • An expression that some careful speakers consider redundant is not the same as saying it is ungrammatical. – Mari-Lou A Apr 07 '19 at 11:39
  • @Mari-LouA, that is why I added ‘or otherwise unfortunate’. What interests me is the reason why careful speakers avoid this construction (if that is indeed the case). – Toothrot Apr 07 '19 at 11:40
  • "Reason why is not only not ungrammatical or harmlessly redundant, but it’s a legitimately correct and fully grammatical construction. Just because there are other options doesn’t mean one is right and the rest are wrong." - blog here – Michael Harvey Apr 07 '19 at 11:44
  • @MichaelHarvey, I think this is right, but I will not click on a link to a blog that uses the "just because .. doesn't mean .." construction. – Toothrot Apr 07 '19 at 11:45
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    There's nothing wrong with it. I cannot tell you the reason why she got angry is perfectly grammatical. Here, "why" functions as an adjunct of reason. – BillJ Apr 07 '19 at 11:45
  • “Have some reason you” or “Have some reason why you” and Do you need the “why” in “That's the reason why”? – Mari-Lou A Apr 07 '19 at 11:47
  • "The reason why I left the firm was the pay" vs "The reason I left the firm was the pay" they mean the same thing. As to BillJ's example, I prefer I cannot tell you why she got angry Why would you add "reason" there? – Mari-Lou A Apr 07 '19 at 12:03
  • The syntactic difference I mentioned is this: in I cannot tell you the reason [why she got angry] the bracketed element is a relative clause. But in I cannot tell you [why she got angry] it's an interrogative clause (embedded question). – BillJ Apr 07 '19 at 12:18
  • You say some consider it ungrammatical, but who exactly, and what reason do they put forward? AFAIC it just means for which when the antecedent is a reason. –  Apr 07 '19 at 12:22
  • @Minty, sources added. – Toothrot Apr 07 '19 at 12:48
  • @Mari-LouA, the shorter option is often better but surely not always. – Toothrot Apr 07 '19 at 12:50
  • The reason someone does x is, in the estimation of the speaker, why someone does x, so one or the other, not both. I rank the construction on the same level as the fact that: never necessary in writing. It can be a handy redundancy is spoken language however. But such concerns are stylistic, not grammatical. – KarlG Apr 07 '19 at 13:03
  • @KarlG, are you sayng (that) it is good style always to express oneself as concisely as grammatically possible? – Toothrot Apr 07 '19 at 13:05
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    @Toothrot: Bless your heart for not splitting an infinitive. If I had wanted to make a general statement about style, I would have, but in general, concise wins over verbose. – KarlG Apr 07 '19 at 13:12
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    This is English! Someone will always find something to object to! – Hot Licks Apr 07 '19 at 13:13

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