Comments for Whimpulsive http://whimpulsive.com My random mutterings Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:09:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Is the English language deteriorating? by Mike http://whimpulsive.com/2011/10/05/is-the-english-language-deteriorating/#comment-270 Mike Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:09:02 +0000 http://whimpulsive.com/?p=161#comment-270 I'm guessing it's evolution, but it is a shame to see the language bastardized as it is.  (And yes, here in the "Colonies", it is spelled with only one 's'.) We write checks, rather than cheques.  Objects have color, rather than colour.  We honor the dead, not honour them.  This blog post is grammar-oriented, not grammar-orientated.  We don't go to the toilet, we go to a restroom or a bathroom, in order to use the toilet.  And we typically refer to the toilet as a toilet-stool or just a stool.  Tell you're going to the toilet and I'm seriously hoping you intend to retire to the restroom before you do it.  Water drains from a sink via the drain, not a plughole.  Cars are parked in a GAHR-aje, not a GAIR-ej.  You ring people up on a telly, we call people on a telephone or a phone.  Telly is slang for a television, which we generally refer to as a TV.  We cook food on a stove, not a cooktop.  Our kitchens have counters with cabinets, because a bunker is a safe place to shelter from bombs. And could you please refer to 'jelly' by it's proper name - gelatin?  Because if we decide against making fruit preserves or fruit jams, we use fruit juice to make jelly.  And we 'Muricans all love a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.  And an open-faced sandwich is just that, not a piece.  We vacuum our floors, because hoovering is slang for a sex act a woman performs on a man.  And why you refer to a Milky Way as a Mars Bar and a Three Musketeers bar as a Milky Way is just wrong.  But if you're willing to share one of your Tunnock's Caramel Wafers with me, I don't care if you say CAIR-a-mel, or CAR-a-mel.  ;)  The people in Canada punctuate nearly every spoken sentence with 'eh', which they pronounce 'ay'.  I have to run to the store, eh?  Do you want to ride along with me, eh?  It's really cold this morning, eh?  Almost all statements end up being questions, eh?  And that can be even more annoying than people who use 'literally' to death, eh? I regret to admit I've grown lazy over the years.  When I was a child, I was taught to pronounce 'the' as 'thee', not 'thuh'.  But the lessons didn't stick.  'A' becomes 'uh', as well.  And then you can add in the wide and varied accents in this country.  I live in Lafayette, Indiana, which we pronounce as LA-FEY-et.  Journey to Louisiana and it is pronounced la-FAY-et.  And people on the Eastern Seaboard chide us for 'warshing' dishes, rather than washing them. I reckon the only constant in this world is change.  And we're drug along with it, for better or for worse, even when it comes to changes in the English language. I’m guessing it’s evolution, but it is a shame to see the language bastardized as it is.  (And yes, here in the “Colonies”, it is spelled with only one ‘s’.)
We write checks, rather than cheques.  Objects have color, rather than colour.  We honor the dead, not honour them.  This blog post is grammar-oriented, not grammar-orientated.  We don’t go to the toilet, we go to a restroom or a bathroom, in order to use the toilet.  And we typically refer to the toilet as a toilet-stool or just a stool.  Tell you’re going to the toilet and I’m seriously hoping you intend to retire to the restroom before you do it.  Water drains from a sink via the drain, not a plughole.  Cars are parked in a GAHR-aje, not a GAIR-ej.  You ring people up on a telly, we call people on a telephone or a phone.  Telly is slang for a television, which we generally refer to as a TV.  We cook food on a stove, not a cooktop.  Our kitchens have counters with cabinets, because a bunker is a safe place to shelter from bombs.
And could you please refer to ‘jelly’ by it’s proper name – gelatin?  Because if we decide against making fruit preserves or fruit jams, we use fruit juice to make jelly.  And we ‘Muricans all love a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.  And an open-faced sandwich is just that, not a piece.  We vacuum our floors, because hoovering is slang for a sex act a woman performs on a man.  And why you refer to a Milky Way as a Mars Bar and a Three Musketeers bar as a Milky Way is just wrong.  But if you’re willing to share one of your Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers with me, I don’t care if you say CAIR-a-mel, or CAR-a-mel.  ;)  
The people in Canada punctuate nearly every spoken sentence with ‘eh’, which they pronounce ‘ay’.  I have to run to the store, eh?  Do you want to ride along with me, eh?  It’s really cold this morning, eh?  Almost all statements end up being questions, eh?  And that can be even more annoying than people who use ‘literally’ to death, eh?
I regret to admit I’ve grown lazy over the years.  When I was a child, I was taught to pronounce ‘the’ as ‘thee’, not ‘thuh’.  But the lessons didn’t stick.  ‘A’ becomes ‘uh’, as well.  And then you can add in the wide and varied accents in this country.  I live in Lafayette, Indiana, which we pronounce as LA-FEY-et.  Journey to Louisiana and it is pronounced la-FAY-et.  And people on the Eastern Seaboard chide us for ‘warshing’ dishes, rather than washing them.
I reckon the only constant in this world is change.  And we’re drug along with it, for better or for worse, even when it comes to changes in the English language.

]]> Comment on Is the English language deteriorating? by Lisa http://whimpulsive.com/2011/10/05/is-the-english-language-deteriorating/#comment-262 Lisa Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:41:26 +0000 http://whimpulsive.com/?p=161#comment-262 <p>@ Matt - well you do work in M&S.. they're known for quality food, not quality intelligence :D @ Nickie - I can handle genuine typos, although depending on the person making the typo I may indulge in some teasing over the mistake.  I agree with your pet hates.  Mind you, I am guilty of using "ass" at times, but usually when I'm talking to an American.  I also love looking up meanings and origins of words/phrases (Can see another blog post coming out of that hehehehe). </p> @ Matt – well you do work in M&S.. they’re known for quality food, not quality intelligence :D

@ Nickie – I can handle genuine typos, although depending on the person making the typo I may indulge in some teasing over the mistake.  I agree with your pet hates.  Mind you, I am guilty of using “ass” at times, but usually when I’m talking to an American.  I also love looking up meanings and origins of words/phrases (Can see another blog post coming out of that hehehehe). 

]]> Comment on Is the English language deteriorating? by Nickie http://whimpulsive.com/2011/10/05/is-the-english-language-deteriorating/#comment-261 Nickie Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:35:17 +0000 http://whimpulsive.com/?p=161#comment-261 I have a friend who is what you describe as a "grammar nazi" but the said Hitler of the English language makes more than her fair share of grammatical errors, typos and general faux pas with the written and spoken word. I write for a living, albeit only content for gaming websites, and often don't have time to read back over my work which is always a catastrophic error because on the days I haven't checked my work I'll find a "there" when it should be "their", a "your" when it should be "you're" and a million other common errors. My pet hates in the world of language today are a)using a word totally out of context in an effort to sound more intellectual than you are - you just look a tit and b) f**king Amercianisms! It's an ARSE not an ASS, a NAPPY not a DIAPER and the hundreds of other crap Yank words being force fed to our kids on the television. For me I love looking up the meaning of sayings, finding the origin of a saying like "vinegar stroke" or "indian giver". I love our language and completely agree with the points you raise Lisa - great post :)   *Reads back quickly over comment for typos etc before hitting "post"* I have a friend who is what you describe as a “grammar nazi” but the said Hitler of the English language makes more than her fair share of grammatical errors, typos and general faux pas with the written and spoken word.
I write for a living, albeit only content for gaming websites, and often don’t have time to read back over my work which is always a catastrophic error because on the days I haven’t checked my work I’ll find a “there” when it should be “their”, a “your” when it should be “you’re” and a million other common errors.
My pet hates in the world of language today are a)using a word totally out of context in an effort to sound more intellectual than you are – you just look a tit and b) f**king Amercianisms! It’s an ARSE not an ASS, a NAPPY not a DIAPER and the hundreds of other crap Yank words being force fed to our kids on the television.
For me I love looking up the meaning of sayings, finding the origin of a saying like “vinegar stroke” or “indian giver”. I love our language and completely agree with the points you raise Lisa – great post :)
 
*Reads back quickly over comment for typos etc before hitting “post”*

]]> Comment on Is the English language deteriorating? by Matt http://whimpulsive.com/2011/10/05/is-the-english-language-deteriorating/#comment-260 Matt Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:34:31 +0000 http://whimpulsive.com/?p=161#comment-260 All too true. Surprising how many people are completely illiterate... I think I work with most of them :p All too true. Surprising how many people are completely illiterate… I think I work with most of them :p

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