Jaycee

I agree with you there, reading is very important. I think most grade schools have been pressing the reading lately on the younger ones; my daughter's certainly one of them. (But luckily, she likes it.)
Yes, our slips (and mine there, too) are getting excessive. It starts out as just a "time-saver", but it's evolving into a new language.
Sadly, laziness prevails. There are some people who are legitimately dyslexic (like my husband for example): very intelligent people... they just can't see that a word is wrong. However there are those that just willingly submit to the laziness and allow it to take over. That's what drives me nuts. We've really gotten to a point where we just can't live without our Spell Checker. (Geeze, lets get a bit lazier! ...And they wonder why we as a nation are getting progressively fatter.... sure, blame McDonalds.) As great as it is (and I use it too,) relying too much on our wonderful devices we've invented, results in things like this coming from a very large corporation in an apology letter, addressed to me: "And we'd like to sincerely apologize for any incontinence this may have caused you."
Sure, it was inconvenient, but I really don't think I pooped my pants about it.
As I'm sure you are, I was quite literally in laughter-tears upon reading that little morsel. Come on, people... accept that we are human, we make mistakes... but please, at least let it be your own mistake!

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~Jaycee

thefictionweliv

I would be satisfied if people stopped using double negatives.

MacGuyver

I totally agree with that one. 'Hit the nail on the head'. It's a shame that most school budgets are going through some severe cuts, because of the economy. Well, at least schools that I have been to.

I also agree here. Maybe this is what happens when a country's leader can barely form a decent sentence. But maybe I shouldn't bring politics into this discussion. Just a thought, anyways.

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---Aristotle

Deeds, not words, shall speak [for] me.
---John Fletcher

Lockjaw

You can blame Bush for a lot of things but I don't think you can blame him for a general decline in the proper useage of the English language. Especially amongst the demographic that doesn't hold him in any high esteem(such as teenagers and people in their 20s).

K-Wise

I do have to chuckle a bit when people use words wrong..or words that arent words. My dad used to make fun of his old boss because she would leave notes up for the workers saying things such ass "There will be no <b>conversating</b> allowed in the work area" or something of the sort. Also my ex used to say things like "I'm nauseous" when you're supposed to say "I'm nauseated" or "I feel nauseous". Ya know common mistakes that everyone makes. It's just kinda funny. Especially when you used to do it yourself.

Asta!!

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jimbob

A sign I saw today in a sports shop window said "We got it. They don't."
This might mean something to Americans and other foreign English speakers, where 'got' seems to be used differently, but here in Blighty 'got' is the past tense of 'get'. So the first sentence should read "We have it" or the second "They didn't" for the whole to make any sence.

The It in question is a shoe which is unique to that particular chain of stores. Should I really feel sad that people can appreciate the tiny differences between exclusively stocked sport shoes in different shops but not the intricacies of the language?

combatmedicjen

Wow, I can read the posts in this thread without getting a headache! Thank you, educated people of TFP!

Herk

Yes... down with homo -nyms, -phones, and -graphs. But seriously, don't get pissed, I may have been an asshole, but it was all in jest. I refuse to look "jest" up, but I think I've used it correctly. You make excellent points, and I completely agree.

By the way, a few more examples are: reenterate for reiterate and preventative for preventive, although, despite the fact that we don't do things like preventate something from happening, this common use of -ative has made it into the dictionary several places where it shouldn't have.

I'm going to assume you aren't voting republican. This is too funny.

I love it when I see posts get trolled and everybody gets pissed. Then, as it goes on everybody turns out agreeing and it gets friendly. People begin to have productive discussion. Ahh, human dynamics at work again.

Herk

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Slavakion

How about orientate? That's always a good one.

My mom's an English major. I used to challenge her all the time when she said could care less on the grounds that it was nonsensical. She'd respond with none other than same difference which makes just about as much sense! The day when an English major does that is a sad one indeed.

And anyone notice that everybody being quoted/filmed on TV or in a magazine always uses myself instead of I or me? And 85% of the time they're using it wrong.

Xell101

I attribute it to having so many idols and popculture icons over the years that speak English like it is their second or third language bringing the standards and expectations down.

PulpMind

What's the use of correcting my reply post to your drivel? I'm on the internet, I'm not writing a book, I care not to speak proper. You step up with a stick in your ass, you're going to get corrected. =)
oh fuck, I used a smiley face.

even more amusing is your post correcting my post to you, filled with even greater errors than the original one.. fuck yeah!

AMERIKA - FUCK YEAH!

jimbob

Does anyone else not like it when people ask questions in the negative?

<-- like that one.

If you answer 'Yes' the questioner then has to ask 'Is that yes you do or yes you don't?"

And the same if you answer 'No'.

MSD

The words "ironic" and "literally" have practically no link to their original meanings. The consistent abuse of the English language, particualrly by those on the internet (I'm looking at you, Fark,) has degraded its quality in recent years.

3zos

irregardless of weather or not double negatives arose all to often...



pissing off grammar nazis is fun! that a good portion of you (deeming yourselves fit to lecture about the nuances of the english language) include glaring spelling errors along with your opines is fairly entertaining

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S U C C E S S

some people dream of success, while other people live to crush those dreams

Bustello

All languages are degrading since the web chatting was invented... I can read Spanish and the people that write in this language seem to be five year olds!

subnet_rx

it's always been degraded, it's just the internet displays it for everyone to see.

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adam

Languages evolve. Historically, the pace has been constant enough to form a very rough clock -- you can estimate cultural divergence times by linguistic changes, at least in some cases.

And, in all times and places, folks seem to think things are going to hell in a handbasket. But we keep on going just the same.

william

The internet is for all people to use. The English (American?) language can be tough to learn. Many people try to post w/big words when small words will do. But honestly - why should we expect everyone to speak English (American)?

Tophat665

That bugs the shit out of me too.

No necessarily. I have used that very idiom to imply that absolutely no respect was, in fact, due.

It's a living language. Their, There, and They're are homonyms now. Eventually, they may well become alternate meanings of the same word (probably "there") I do share your concern to some extent (fo'rizzle), but I think it's ultimately a futile concern when I turn on NPR and hear ostensibly educated people saying things like "very unique", "sufficiently enough", "HIV Virus". Then again, pleonasms are my pet peeve, so I am sensitive to that particular error.

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JJRousseau

I'll throw in my pet peeve. I have no idea how to spell it:

"Yer guyses"

As in, "yer guyses language is hard to understand." It seems to be a product of the 20-somethings.

Blasphemy.

Ahaha, reminds me of a hilarious David Cross routine.
He talks about how it bothers him how some people don't know what literally means.

"Man, this movie scared me so bad, I literally shit my pants!"
"..so what did you do?"
"I was really scared!"
"Yeah, but what did you do with the pants?"