Unglish - ya doon it rong.

[PrincessBandit]

Just for Hitcher - found this on the internet this morning whilst browsing through what I thought was a set of medical related links...


Are We There Yet? Ann Aitken Worth
“English - you’re doing it wrong”

'Despite what the somewhat slapdash presentation of this blog may suggest, I am a writer. Words are my stock in trade and punctuation, sadly enough, is a source of both joy and pain in my life, and today I’d like to talk about it. I know I overuse commas and it’s a dreadful habit I have tried to free myself from without success. My comma dependency runs too strong for that. I hope it doesn’t disturb your blog-reading experience.
My obsession with words and the stuff in between them could be viewed as slightly tragic. I realised I was doomed halfway through my three-year journalism degree. I arrived at my weekend job bright and early at 6.30am and realised I’d spent much of the 30-minute walk there ruminating on the fine points of apostrophes.
It wouldn’t be the last time. A brisk run around the city gives me plenty of time to observe blatant apostrophe misuse on signs everywhere. It’s almost obsessive compulsive– I find it difficult to resist the urge to march into shops to inform them the sign is wrong. An apostrophe crusader in running shorts and sneakers. I like that image. I can’t be the only one this drives nuts, surely?
I even put apostrophes in my text messages. I also refuse to bastardise the English language by using text-speak, and pedantically spell out things correctly in text messages. Or at least I try – spelling isn’t my strong suit.
I don’t mind new slang – it’s creative and interesting, as an evolving language should be. But some recent words make me near incandescent with fury because they’re just unnecessary, usually longer and more jargon-like than the original word.
(Yes, I’m aware it takes a special kind of person to be moved to fury by words. What can I say? I’m a passionate person. I can be as apathetic as the next Gen Y person, but I prefer to throw myself body and soul into things.)
Take the word signage for example. Preferably, take it away from the English language altogether. Why the "age"? Why not the word signs instead? And linkages. How is that better than the word links? Is it something different? I just find it frustrating.
Then there are perfectly valid words I dislike anyway. This list included the word infrastructure. It just screams "boring" to me.
A guy I work with hates the word moist. He finds it unsavoury. I’ve never had a problem with it but I can see his point.
This is the sort of thing we discuss in the newsroom, but I’d like to know if grammar and word obsession extends further.
Does incorrect grammar annoy you? Do you even notice? Do you have words you like, or dislike? And are we all doomed by the younger generation’s slim grasp on written coherence?'

I feel more normal having read this article. I must admit my obsession for spelling mistakes and incorrect comma use (not to mention improper contraction or the reverse - such as "I should of" squirm) annoys the daylights out of me at times.
Anyway, immediately after thinking of myself as I read it, I thought of Hitcher.

I wonder why that might have been.

[PrincessBandit]

Oh, and a word that I find makes my skin crawl is "nape". I don't know why. It's a perfectly normal word, it doesn't have any hideously funny ring to it (like "scrotum" - see, I'm laughing out loud, 'lolling' if you like, as I type it!). Scrotum that is, not nape ewwwww.

Why do we find some words simply hilarious or revolting, despite their harmless or dreary meaning?

[Ronin]

Assumably. Contrary to what most people would think, this is in fact a word. This caused some discord when I corrected my partner on its usage.

[yod]

I'm genuinely astounded at how many people think the opposite to win is loose.

[terbang]

Anyways. Hearing some poor German or Italian, who learnt their English in Amerika using it just kills me.

[Swoop]

I'm genuinely astounded at how many people think the opposite to win is loose.

Especially on KB.

[maggot]

Funnily enough I wrote a column piece along these lines for an English class once.
I think I concluded that the best cure for the chronic mis-user would be forcing them to learn one of the romance languages. Nothing better teaches you your own language than learning another I'd say!

[terbang]

We're all living in America, America its wunderbar...

[Usarka]

Nothing wrong with a good moisty.

[Hitcher]

Gahh! Thud.

[wysper]

The apostrophe thing gets me, because I have never successfully learned the rules.

So I tend to leave them out rather than use them. Contractions are fine, but when they are used in the possessive sense (I hope that is right), then I am all out at sea.


I try not to infuriate Hitcher, but I am sure some of my posts do.

[EJK]

The thread title is very Asian. That's all I can say.

[steve_t]

Assumably. Contrary to what most people would think, this is in fact a word. This caused some discord when I corrected my partner on its usage.

Assumably is fine. It's "supposebly" that annoys me. That and "irregardless"!! As well as the "should of" and "could of". I'm a grammar nazi around people I know

[Usarka]

Gahh! Thud.

I can't find Gahh in my dictionary

[Ronin]

I loath the word texted and prefer "so and so sent me a text". I will even stoop to saying I text so and so. Texted just sounds wronger than a wrong thing wearing a wrong hat on wrong day.