Language Nazis Unite!

[catalina_francisco]

What really gets me is these strange people who consistently add a U to some words. That's sooooo weird and completely foreign to me..

LOL, as an Aussie, the 'u' is essential for correct spelling...and pronunciation.

Catalina

 

[DVS]

I know I know..stupid differences between British and American English. I spell such words as humour,neighbour or colour mostly how I feel....but my teacher at school is obsessed bout spelling it in British English way so I try to be a good student and do that

One thing I don't get though why Americans sometimes don't use doesn't in 3rd person..I mean 'Love don't cost a thing' (ewww song btw) sounds better than 'Love doesn't cost a thing' but grammar is grammar,right??


witcha

A lot of the time, it's not grammar but rythum and how it sounds that dictates what is used in a song. Although I don't recognize the phrase you mention, I agree with you that "don't" does seem to flow better than "doesn't", in that instance.

But, it isn't correct grammar.

 

[DVS]

LOL, as an Aussie, the 'u' is essential for correct spelling...and pronunciation.

Catalina

When I was a kid, our family had a very lovely girl from Perth stay with us for a year.

If I'd known then that she added a U to all of those words, I might have seen her differently.

Well, not really, because she was HOT!

 

[AngelicAssassin]

I agree with you that "don't" does seem to flow better than "doesn't", in that instance.

But, it isn't correct grammar.

And, the exception taking center stage over the mundane rule, the one time most Nazi's don't mind. Music ain't normal conversation. As you intonated, the rhythm/meter take precedence.

Odd you should mention this, and i don't direct this to DVS alone. Think about the last time you read well written thoughts. Those words can sing to you as well.

 

[Marquis]

I purposely use incorrect grammar often because I feel it better communicates not only WHAT I'm trying to say, but HOW I want to say it. Of course, everything I consider slang is slowly being added to the dictionary, so it's only a matter of time before I speak perfect English accidentally.

 

[DVS]

And, the exception taking center stage over the mundane rule, the one time most Nazi's don't mind. Music ain't normal conversation. As you intonated, the rhythm/meter take precedence.

Odd you should mention this, and i don't direct this to DVS alone. Think about the last time you read well written thoughts. Those words can sing to you as well.

Hummmm, well written thoughts? That depends on who's reading them, right?

"She bent over so her sexy ass was propped up by pillows. Then, she turned her head back to look at him. With lust in her eyes, she asked him to take her ass, and take her hard!"

Ah, I see what you mean, AA. That's music to my ears.

 

[DVS]

Music ain't normal conversation. As you intonated, the rhythm/meter take precedence.

Actually, country music has a lot of bad grammar in it.

I'm talking about old country, not the new stuff that's actually country rock. You know, the twang days.

 

[bridgeburner]

DVS,

Reading your earlier nightmare post I realized that I had a harder time reading that than I had reading the sample paragraph I saw somewhere else describing how humans are able to read badly misspelled words so long as the first and last letters are correct.

Sure enough, I read the mangled passage without stumbling but reading your post actually made the back of my tongue ache as if I were trying to speak and being thwarted. Very, very hard to read.


-B

 

[bridgeburner]

I type pretty much as I speak, but my speech does change depending on situation or company.

Day to day I don't have much of an accent --- or, rather I have that kind of television non-accent that is common to many in Southern California. I grew up in the American South, however so I am comfortable with some truly bizarre speech. I can't even fake a Texas accent but all I have to do is hear the hint of the South in someone's speech and I start to sound like somebody just fished me out of the Tar River.

I'm comfortable with all manner of Southern idioms and hearing them doesn't make me think that the speaker is ignorant. It is almost literally another language and there are correct and incorrect ways to speak "Southern".

-B

 

[Esclava]

I type pretty much as I speak, but my speech does change depending on situation or company.

Day to day I don't have much of an accent --- or, rather I have that kind of television non-accent that is common to many in Southern California. I grew up in the American South, however so I am comfortable with some truly bizarre speech. I can't even fake a Texas accent but all I have to do is hear the hint of the South in someone's speech and I start to sound like somebody just fished me out of the Tar River.

I'm comfortable with all manner of Southern idioms and hearing them doesn't make me think that the speaker is ignorant. It is almost literally another language and there are correct and incorrect ways to speak "Southern".

-B

Being a Texas gal (born - but not raised, fortunately), I understand the "proper" way to speak Southern. I have no accent, because people always ask me where I was born and when I say Texas, it puzzles them completely.

I also understand the "hearing" and then beginning to sound like whomever you are listening to. I had a friend with a British accent engaged in a conversation. When my words started sounding like his, he thought I was insulting him; but it was easier for him to understand what I said with his British inflection in my voice.

So, I agree - the accents and idioms don't make the speaker sound ignorant, it helps smooth the communications between two people of dissimiliar backgrounds.

Esclava

 

[bridgeburner]

Esclava,

I tend to emulate what I hear as well. The funniest occasion was when I was traveling in France as a teenager. I spoke very little French -- enough to get around a bit and evoke the sympathies of the natives. So long as I tried they were mollified and forgave my wretched monolinguism and mostly spoke English to me. Fortunately, although my speech was limited my accent was quite good so I was only butchering the sense of things and not the sound as well. I did tend to speak English with a Frenchified accent in coversation, though, but no one really noticed it except the other Americans I was traveling with.

In Scotland I picked up "Em" and "brilliant" and even while traveling with my American companion retained a bit of the Scottish flavor of speech. We'd get serious giggles over it because she's also a bit of a magpie about dialects.

I think you're right that it aids in communication. Perhaps not so much the sense of things as the feeling of friendliness and a true desire to connect. It's not something I do consciously. Perhaps it's my own desire to connect with others that causes me to mimic dialects. Sort of an audible act of goodwill.

The landlord next door to me is originally from Tennesee and I think it's as much my ability to share in his cultural heritage through speech that has endeared me to him as it is the fact that I keep my yard up.

-B

 

[bridgeburner]

Okay, I just thought of two more. One is purely pronunciation:

Mischeivous

How many people do you know who say misCHEEvEEous or misCHEEvEEously. They're adding a syllable that isn't there. It's pronounced mis-chi-vous or mis-chi-vous-ly. Like mischief and just add the suffix.

The dictionary notes that there is a long standing mispronunciation of the word but it is still non-standard.

Another that I often see in Lit stories is:

Conscience/Conscious

Conscience is a noun and is that part of one's mind that feels guilt for misdeeds.

Conscious is both an adjective and a noun. The adjective implies critical awareness i.e. to be conscious of wrongdoing. The noun - also consciousness - means specifically the "waking" mind or identity and derives from Freud and psychotherapy.

One can be conscious of one's conscience or conscientous, even, but one can not ever be simply "conscience" unless one is acting as the angel on the shoulder of another and then you are his conscience.

-B

 

[catalina_francisco]

Here/Hear

Here - eg. Please come here before I come and get you.
Hear - eg. I can hear music playing in the background.

Catalinahttp://www.smilies4you.de/content/sonstige/c105.gif

 

[blue kat]

Okay, I just thought of two more. One is purely pronunciation:

Mischeivous

How many people do you know who say misCHEEvEEous or misCHEEvEEously. They're adding a syllable that isn't there. It's pronounced mis-chi-vous or mis-chi-vous-ly. Like mischief and just add the suffix.

The dictionary notes that there is a long standing mispronunciation of the word but it is still non-standard.

Another that I often see in Lit stories is:

Conscience/Conscious

Conscience is a noun and is that part of one's mind that feels guilt for misdeeds.

Conscious is both an adjective and a noun. The adjective implies critical awareness i.e. to be conscious of wrongdoing. The noun - also consciousness - means specifically the "waking" mind or identity and derives from Freud and psychotherapy.

One can be conscious of one's conscience or conscientious, even, but one can not ever be simply "conscience" unless one is acting as the angel on the shoulder of another and then you are his conscience.

-B

But is the pronounciation the same when it's spelled mischievous?

Sorry bridgeburner, but I'm not real consientious about my spellchecker either.

 

[DVS]

But is the pronounciation the same when it's spelled mischievous?

Sorry bridgerburner, but I'm not real consientious about my spellchecker either.

That was rather mischievous of you, Blue. I saw it, but left it alone because the explanation was excellent.

Maybe bridgeburner was still a bit dumbfounded by my post with multiple mistakes (they were all intentional, of course). I'm sure that could cause anyone to go a little bonkers for a short time.

Oh, and that's bridgeburner...not bridgerburner, as you typed it. Just a little mistake is all. Spell check won't find that.

 

[AngelicAssassin]

But is the pronounciation the same? [/i]

Webster's slant ... Click me.

One way

or

another.

 

[DVS]

DVS,

Reading your earlier nightmare post I realized that I had a harder time reading that than I had reading the sample paragraph I saw somewhere else describing how humans are able to read badly misspelled words so long as the first and last letters are correct.

Sure enough, I read the mangled passage without stumbling but reading your post actually made the back of my tongue ache as if I were trying to speak and being thwarted. Very, very hard to read.


-B

I would assume that means you are fairly good with your grammar. If not, you might not have noticed any mistakes.

 

[DVS]

Webster's slant ... Click me.

One way

or

another.

So, are you saying this is a case of you say tomato and I'll say tomato?

Oh, and did it say which way Hoover pronounced it, by chance?

 

[bridgeburner]

But is the pronounciation the same when it's spelled mischievous?

Sorry bridgerburner, but I'm not real consientious about my spellchecker either.

Ha! Good catch, I never spell check my posts so I'm always doing stuff like that. I have an itchy apostrophe finger, too, that makes it appear that I don't know the difference between its and it's which is just maddening.

I used to obsessively go back and edit my posts for those pesky spelling lazinesses but I've made a concerted effort to just let it lie as often as possible.

Rib away --- anyone who's going to be persnickety about other people's grammar and usage should well be able to take a hit about her spelling!

-B

 

[blue kat]

That was rather mischievous of you, Blue. I saw it, but left it alone because the explanation was excellent.

Maybe bridgeburner was still a bit dumbfounded by my post with multiple mistakes (they were all intentional, of course). I'm sure that could cause anyone to go a little bonkers for a short time.

Oh, and that's bridgeburner...not bridgerburner, as you typed it. Just a little mistake is all. Spell check won't find that.

There's an old internet cliché that every post that twits someone on a spelling error, will make one of their own on the same post! Damn I hate being a cliché!


laughing at myself as I go back to change it!


Actually, there is away to set most browser spell checkers for unusual words and names, so that they won't trip the spell checker. I haven't done it here, though, because I'm borrowing a different person's computer, and I don't like to mess with someone else's settings. With my luck, they'll know a bridgerburner, who'll then follow the owner around giving him wet willies and blowing raspberries at him for mispelling his name. Frailty, thy name is spell check!

 

[bridgeburner]

I would assume that means you are fairly good with your grammar. If not, you might not have noticed any mistakes.

Until the last few years I would have said I was only fair. It's not that my skill or knowledge has increased, only that the standard has fallen. I generally rate "excellent" in the online tests but I still struggle with who/whom, lay/lie and others occasionally. There's something strange about lit and lighted as well but I'm on my way out the door so I'll have to look it up tomorrow.

And ence/ance ent/ant endings drive me bonkers. Is there a rule for them?

As to your post, it was obviously done deliberately. You didn't miss a chance to make a "wrong" --- only someone who knows better could have done it.

-B

 

[bridgeburner]

Webster's slant ... Click me.

One way

or

another.

From website:

usage A pronunciation \mis-'chE-vE-&s\ and a consequent spelling mischievious are of long standing: evidence for the spelling goes back to the 16th century. Our pronunciation files contain modern attestations ranging from dialect speakers to Herbert Hoover. But both the pronunciation and the spelling are still considered nonstandard

That was what I made reference to. People say it and spell it with the extra syllable but it is not yet standard. Eventually it may be --- English is a living growing language, after all.

Grammar Gods forbid that I ever have to accept nuke-u-lar as anything but rube-speak, though. ;->

-B

 

[bridgeburner]

So, are you saying this is a case of you say tomato and I'll say tomato?

Oh, and did it say which way Hoover pronounced it, by chance?

Hoover was a mischievious man.


-B

 

[bridgeburner]

I think it's a word-meld between mischievous and devious.


----and if I were really any damn good I'd know a proper term for "word-meld".


-B

 

[DVS]

Hoover was a mischievious man.


-B

That figures. He was around before Microsoft Word. It makes me correct it to mischievous.