Destructing Language

leedogg · Post by **leedogg** » Thu May 31, 2001 10:45 pm

minerva, iknow people that speak very proper but the vast majority(myself included) don't.
I'm sure thats a perfect example. can you end a sentence with don't?

BTW, 11th grade semester english exams 93 and 94, and i still can't talk right!

EDIT- i still get giddy when i get the top of a page!

[ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: leedogg ]

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Fri Jun 01, 2001 4:13 am

The word 'aks' instead of 'ask' really annoies me.

There is also 'minellium' instead of 'millennium' as you might imagine this casued some frustation 2 years back

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 12:42 am

The Latest.

Today, I was describing a particularly obnoxious poster-with-a-cause on another list to my wife. She replied, "I know what you mean, he's strumming his own horn all the time."

As she said this, the fabric of the English language could be heard unraveling slightly throughout the land. And it's been fraying so badly of late, too.

The Outsider · Post by **The Outsider** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 5:01 pm

Hm, my kvetsches of the day would be:

1. Complete lack of knowledge about the use of an apostrophe. Almost every piece of casual writing I see has the occasions at which one crops up reversed.

2. The drive to use the word 'good' ad nauseam. While this is not always a grammatical incongruity, the phrase "I done good" is not one I wish to hear from someone who has presumably passed the fourth grade.

3. People who get very angry about having their inaccuracies pointed out. Somehow, it's my fault that I know that they're abusing language. "So? 'sit tooya?" is a standard response, of the type that can be admitted past the board censors.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Tue Jun 12, 2001 7:47 pm

You know what makes me sad? The loss of the subjunctive voice in English. It is now proper to say “If this was your town” instead of “If this were your town.” Also, it is okay to say “If this is treason” instead of “If this be treason.” I mourn the passing.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 9:20 am

Anyone here's gotch anymores to adds to thish lisht?

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 9:39 am

Everyone knows that Americans are generally illichterrate, but nothing makes me laugh more than the way we prounounce place names, especially those we import from other countries. Examples:

Havanna, FL - Hay-van-nah

Cairo, GA - Kay-ro

Lima, OH - Lie-maw

Versailles, KY - Vur-sales

And my favourite:

Two guys are arguing about how to pronounce the name of Kissimmee, FL (it's outside of Orlando; near the Mouse Factory). Of course, they're snowbirds on vacation, so neither really has a clue.

They find some unassuming local, and the first says to him, "Can you tell us the name of this place. My friend says you pronounce it Kiss-sim-me."

The other guy adds, "And my friend insists that you pronounce it Kiss-i-mee. Can you say it real slow so we're sure to get it right."

The local leans in close to the two men and says, "Bur-gur King."

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Wed Jan 16, 2002 9:51 am

I find it irritating that so many people have problems have problems using the word "scissors" in a sentence.

I would use:

Could you please pass the scissors

or

I need to use a pair of scissors to get that done

(punctuation intentionally left out, don't start with me)

I have heard people say:

I need to use a scissors
or pass the scissor please

Now, both of these sentences may possess correct grammar but it just sounds odd to me. Other examples include:

Wisconsin-come here, once (never understood that one in all the years I lived there)

There are people out there who don't know what a bubbler is (it's water fountain here in the midwest)

People who refer to any carbonated beverage as 'pop' drives me berzerk.

Perhaps I get a little too wound over the small things.