Comments on: Wrong Words http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/ the blog that is not dansdata.com Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:44:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: tomsk http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-4422 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:53:17 +0000 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-4422 Once you've read <i>Eats, Shoots and Leaves</i>, a good book to read on this subject of linguistic pedantry and correctness would be David Crystal's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fight-English-Language-Pundits-Shot/dp/0199229694/">The Fight For English</a> (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0199229694/dansdata">US</a>), which is far more sensible than any of the perennial nitpicking peddled by the likes of Truss (<a href="http://www.cussedness.com/2009/01/26/the-fight-for-english-by-david-crystal/" rel="nofollow">my review</a>, in case anyone's interested, please forgive the self-link). Actually, anything by Crystal is worth a look, he's generally excellent. Personally, I think English spelling and orthography are pretty bloody stupid, but there's no way to fix the mess, so it's best to just learn the rules and use the language to the best of one's ability, appropriately within context, and with due consideration for the audience. Basic spelling errors like "turrent" show a disregard for the reader that will generally lead to a reciprocal disregard towards the author and everything else <a href="http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003572.html" rel="nofollow">they</a> write. It is important to do your best to get basic things like spelling and punctuation right if you want to be taken seriously. Conversely, though, we shouldn't be bothered by seeing occasional mistakes in informal settings. I suspect that much of the fuming and grumbling about that sort of thing is just point-scoring on the part of insecure people who use the handful of supposed rules that they know to demonstrate how much better educated they are than stupid greengrocers. Once you've read Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a good book to read on this subject of linguistic pedantry and correctness would be David Crystal's The Fight For English (US), which is far more sensible than any of the perennial nitpicking peddled by the likes of Truss (my review, in case anyone's interested, please forgive the self-link). Actually, anything by Crystal is worth a look, he's generally excellent.

Personally, I think English spelling and orthography are pretty bloody stupid, but there's no way to fix the mess, so it's best to just learn the rules and use the language to the best of one's ability, appropriately within context, and with due consideration for the audience. Basic spelling errors like "turrent" show a disregard for the reader that will generally lead to a reciprocal disregard towards the author and everything else they write. It is important to do your best to get basic things like spelling and punctuation right if you want to be taken seriously. Conversely, though, we shouldn't be bothered by seeing occasional mistakes in informal settings. I suspect that much of the fuming and grumbling about that sort of thing is just point-scoring on the part of insecure people who use the handful of supposed rules that they know to demonstrate how much better educated they are than stupid greengrocers.

]]> by: Red October http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-4421 Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:07:26 +0000 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-4421 I have never seen, thank the gods, "Turrent" before now. I am aghast. Many people I know do use "irregardless" in spite of the fact that it's not even a word. Even "Missunderestimated" has discernable meaning (To underestimate improperly, which is something of an epic fail if you manage not only to underestimate but to do it improperly) but "irregardless" makes my brain hurt. The apostophe is a good one, I often see commercial trucks (Lorry/HGV/what-have-you) that say "Driver's wanted", prompting me to ask "Driver's WHAT wanted?" I have never seen, thank the gods, "Turrent" before now. I am aghast. Many people I know do use "irregardless" in spite of the fact that it's not even a word. Even "Missunderestimated" has discernable meaning (To underestimate improperly, which is something of an epic fail if you manage not only to underestimate but to do it improperly) but "irregardless" makes my brain hurt. The apostophe is a good one, I often see commercial trucks (Lorry/HGV/what-have-you) that say "Driver's wanted", prompting me to ask "Driver's WHAT wanted?"

]]> by: theanorak http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-179 Tue, 24 Oct 2006 22:32:04 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-179 Ack. Don't get me started. What about that much-loved, and seemingly soon-to-die word, lose? Replaced by "loose", as far as I can tell. Ack. Don't get me started.

What about that much-loved, and seemingly soon-to-die word, lose? Replaced by "loose", as far as I can tell.

]]> by: mph http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-162 Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:03:31 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-162 rsynnott: How does that work? "Panin'i"? (That's another one of my recent gripes. "Panini" is already plural.) rsynnott: How does that work? "Panin'i"? (That's another one of my recent gripes. "Panini" is already plural.)

]]> by: Phage http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-161 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:15:51 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-161 Worst of all "Let lose the dogs of War", or "Loose those extra pounds now !" (A startling image there). Don't get me started on affect/effect. Worst of all "Let lose the dogs of War", or "Loose those extra pounds now !" (A startling image there).
Don't get me started on affect/effect.

]]> by: rsynnott http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-158 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 11:54:17 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-158 Oh, the apostrophe thing is horrible. Cafes and such here seem to have decided that the word 'panini' must be singled out for special treatment, so that its plural gets an apostrophe even if no other word on the menu does. Grr Oh, the apostrophe thing is horrible. Cafes and such here seem to have decided that the word 'panini' must be singled out for special treatment, so that its plural gets an apostrophe even if no other word on the menu does. Grr

]]> by: RichVR http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-153 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:49:25 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-153 "A similar, less common, but to my mind even more horrid word: “Turrent”. Meaning “turret”." Thank you, thank you, thank you. "A similar, less common, but to my mind even more horrid word: “Turrent”.

Meaning “turret”."

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

]]> by: mph http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-152 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 00:40:09 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-152 Here's one that's been annoying me on places like Slashdot: The use of "queue" instead of "cue", meaning to prepare a recording for play. Example: "Queue the video of Uncle John getting kicked in the crotch!" Here's one that's been annoying me on places like Slashdot: The use of "queue" instead of "cue", meaning to prepare a recording for play. Example:

"Queue the video of Uncle John getting kicked in the crotch!"

]]> by: JoachimH http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-151 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 00:05:02 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-151 You lucky English speakers! I fart in your general...you get the point. :-) In German, the apostrophe was, until recently, only used to signify a contraction of a word with a missing letter. "Tu's" would be the contraction of "Tu es" ("do it"). A few weeks ago though a reform went into effect that allowed the aptly named "Idiotenapostroph" (idiot's apostrophe). This term was coined to describe the usage of the English possesive form in German. Thus now you are allowed to write "Hitler's Hund" (Hitler's dog) instead of the formerly correct form of "Hitlers Hund" in the many German publications about this delightful fellow and all that surrounded him. German idiots, of course, take this even further with the shop that proclaims "CD's-Verleih, Montag's geschlossen" (something like "CD's-rental, closed on Monday's")or the even more delightful sign atop a software shelf in a large electronics retailer that proclaimed its contents to be "Lexikon's" (encyclopediae) which made it to three errors in one word: the correct plural for "Lexikon" is "Lexika", not "Lexikons", and anyway the apostrophe (at that time) was wrong, and finally, the shelf contained dictionaries ("Wörterbücher"), not encyclopediae. You lucky English speakers! I fart in your general...you get the point. :-)
In German, the apostrophe was, until recently, only used to signify a contraction of a word with a missing letter. "Tu's" would be the contraction of "Tu es" ("do it"). A few weeks ago though a reform went into effect that allowed the aptly named "Idiotenapostroph" (idiot's apostrophe). This term was coined to describe the usage of the English possesive form in German. Thus now you are allowed to write "Hitler's Hund" (Hitler's dog) instead of the formerly correct form of "Hitlers Hund" in the many German publications about this delightful fellow and all that surrounded him. German idiots, of course, take this even further with the shop that proclaims "CD's-Verleih, Montag's geschlossen" (something like "CD's-rental, closed on Monday's")or the even more delightful sign atop a software shelf in a large electronics retailer that proclaimed its contents to be "Lexikon's" (encyclopediae) which made it to three errors in one word: the correct plural for "Lexikon" is "Lexika", not "Lexikons", and anyway the apostrophe (at that time) was wrong, and finally, the shelf contained dictionaries ("Wörterbücher"), not encyclopediae.

]]> by: omgror http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-150 Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:20:01 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2006/10/19/wrong-words/#comment-150 I guess missing an Apostrophe in "we're" could change the meaning of a sentence. eg. "Were going on holiday" I think the most common meaning-changing error would be your/you're though. I do enjoy answering people based on the actual meaning of what they've typed. eg. "Mark your crap" "Err... 8/10. Satisfying, not too smelly, but could have done with less wiping." I also enjoy asking people: "Who is this Noone you keep talking about?", or "Is Noone a friend of yours?" I guess missing an Apostrophe in "we're" could change the meaning of a sentence. eg. "Were going on holiday"

I think the most common meaning-changing error would be your/you're though. I do enjoy answering people based on the actual meaning of what they've typed.
eg.
"Mark your crap"
"Err... 8/10. Satisfying, not too smelly, but could have done with less wiping."

I also enjoy asking people: "Who is this Noone you keep talking about?", or "Is Noone a friend of yours?"

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