Allison, that cracked me up. My Dad was a radio announcer way back in the day. He has since moved on, but when he hears anyone on radio or TV say irregardless, he steps back up on his soap box! ha!
I have to agree with "lose" and "loose". Drives me crazy.
Also, I saw a thread on this forum that makes me cringe. It's a game that is something about adding a word or something to the "sentance". Gah!! SENTENCE!!
Who knew there were so many other grammar freaks out there? I feel sad when I see how it doesn't seem to matter or when idiotic words are added to the dictionary just because they are used often.
I was an English major, too, so the previously mentioned grammar, spelling and usage peeves are my peeves as well, as is the fact that educators, and the whole system, seem more willing now to accept mediocrity. Either that or they don't know better themselves, which is just as bad.
Other peeves:
When you try to leave a website and return to a previous page by hitting the Back button and the same page just keeps reloading.
When you ask to be unsubscribed to various newsletters, mailings (and you do exactly what they say to do) but they continue to send you e-mail. I'm not even talking about the spammers, I'm talking about legitimate e-mails or things that I had previously signed up for that I no longer want to receive.
Those people who post porn links on other people's youtube sites. I've lost count of how many of those messages I've had to delete.
Lizziness- I'm really sorry this if sounds like a response from "Ask a Linguist." Most languages use not only different nouns for food given to animals/people but also different verbs for "eating." Modern English no longer needs to be as specific but, in the past, agrarian societies needed to have a linguistic distinction (probably to keep the kids from eating the pig feed).
Please help me out- what's a troll?
I really hate ebonics, both verbal and written. I think the suggestion and later acceptance of inferior linguistic skills is the greatest insult ever made toward African Americans. I could scream thinking about all the great minds whose opinions may never be heard by dominant society because some grad student said it was not only acceptable but also African American culture to have poor verbal communication skills. How is this concept not racist just because it's proponents said so? Plus, I can't understand it...
Oh! This is fun.
Also, I have a hard time using phrases that don't make any sense to me, just because I hear other people use them. For example: By and large
What?????
Last edited by Spinymouse; 09-15-2007 at 12:25 PM.
Chuckle... you got me! This originated as a maritime expression, according to the "World Wide Words" website. A ship could either sail large or it could sail by the wind, but never both at the same time. The phrase "by and large" refers to all possible points of sailing, so it came to mean “in all possible circumstances" and, later, "all things considered." Check it out! It's a great way to waste a morning!
I actually have to disagree on ebonics. It is more akin to "dialect" than to incorrect grammar (because the "mistakes" aren't random, but follow a consistent pattern). From a linguistic and social linguistic perspective, there's a distinction.
The USA, especially considering it's size, is very unique in having a culture largely devoid of dialects. In germany and great britain, there are parts of the country, technically speaking the same language, but unable to be understood by other countrymen because of the regional difference in dialects. I have known several african americans who can and do speak perfect english at work, but "ebonics" at home, thus it is a legitimate dialect, and cannot be dismissed as just "wrong" english, anymore than a Welshman's or Highlander of Scotland's is.
Oops, didn't mean to hijack the thread (someone's peeve, I'm sure, in fact I think already mentioned).
I once got a "click here to get rid of porn spam forever," such a peeve of mine that I didn't even think before clicking, which took me to (can you guess?) a pay for porn site. What where they thinking? Someone is sitting there thinking "I hate porn," and then when taken to the site against their will would say "Ohhhh, this is porn. I had no idea. Hmmm, I think I like it, and will now pay for it).
It bugs me when people use the possessive when a simple plural will do, example: I tried on some jean's and t-shirt's.
One time I actually stopped my car and wrote a note regarding a sign on a restaurant proclaiming "We Do Privet Party's!" And it was one of those banner signs you have MADE! Nobody along the line tried to correct it?
I hear ya on the "sammy" talk! I watched Rachel Ray one time and was horrified by her baby-talking the damned food! Weird!
The phrase "money is not an object" I can't STAND it! I hear it on all those silly tv shows like VH1's fabulous life of... and I've heard people say it in real life. Of course money is an object, what is that about?!
This is turning out to be quite educational! Lafayette, thank you -- Now I know about "feed" and "by and large!"
I am at a friend's house and I just asked him if he had any word or grammar peeves, and he replied, "to call a guitar an ax."
hehehe- on the unthaw - my dad got into scraps with a man who called in to his hardware store asking him for something to unthaw his pipes with because it was freezing. my dad suggested that if he left them as is they would UNTHAW on their own...the man didn't get it and thought my dad was suggesting he do nothing... it was hilarious.
I talk to military people all day and they have some sayings that I really do not understand. I feel like I need to take a class. And speaking of dialects of America... I literally cannot understand some of the elderly people from the south. It really does feel like we are speaking two different languages.
In my office right now it is very popular to use LOLCATS language for everything. It started with boredom and looking at the lol cats sites...and then someone sent us a letter that was supposed to be professional using phrases like "your company have a problem" and it just stuck. So most of the people in my department sound a little stupid to others when they ask things like "is can it be go homes times yet?"
Oh, on the subject of expressions that get butchered, I've seen "for all intents and purposes" become "for all intensive purposes." Or "voila" is typed as "walla." Or the show "recasted" the character. The past tense of recast is still recast.
A Troll is someone who posts something just to get a reaction. The definition from Urban Dictionary (which is where you can post your own definitions to words, phrases and acronyms) is "One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument."
I refer to Urban Dictionary a lot (oh, peeve--the words are "a lot" NOT alot) because I don't always understand what my DD is saying in her chats--it is quite useful when you have kids! LOL (or as she says is lewl)
