I'm glad you included this addendum, Josh. I subscribe to a lot of Substacks, and all of the writers are intelligent and have opinions and knowledge that are well worth reading. 95% of them need an editor! I can't help myself. I see every damned misspelling, left out word, bad punctuation, or incorrect word usage that spell check couldn't catch, and it's distracting to my comprehension. These are good writers, but I can guarantee that you check, re-check and triple check your articles before you post them. It's quite difficult to catch one's errors, I will admit, but I automatically judge the writing skill of someone's piece that contains what I consider careless errors.
I spent more than twenty years writing technical reports. I would go over each one again and again looking for mistakes. After the final edition was printed, bound, and shipped to the client, I'd open my copy and the first thing I'd see was a typo.
Are you saying that every single example I gave, every one of them is "regional," and that's it? If you are saying that, that is incorrect.
You are also incorrect to characterize these pronunciation shifts as simply the same normal regional variations that have always occurred at the very same rate and in the same ways, if indeed that is what you mean by your reply.
Your right about all this, but you're post missed a golden opportunity to highlight the maddening misuse of homonyms. Their is little that is more grating than there practically ubiquitous misuse. Its enough to drive one mad.
“Warshed” seems regional, I noticed this 50 years ago.
Same as “college (cah-lege) being pronounced as “caaa-ledge” (a very flat “a”) in Indiana and I could tell those from Indiana from the Illinois residents, when I lived in Chicago for three years
Add some parts of Pennsylvania to the very flat "a" list. I had a grandmother who said "caaa-fee" for "coffee" but I was taught to be polite and not correct her.
Can we please do away with the trendy, modern use of present participles, when a simple present -tense verb does the job?
I’m really likING this Mac and cheese. I’m feelING that you shouldn’t do that. You know what? I’m thinkING burgers tonight. Yuck.
I blame McDonald’s for this, somewhat (I’m loving it!). But it’s also the propensity toward open-ended, non-committal speech that keeps this trend alive. After all, the sentence “I like this” sounds so finite, so decided. So… oppressive.
This has bothered me as much as the vocal fry of the early 2000s
But English and pronunciation, and handwriting are not taught in schools anymore.
I have a 31 year old son of a first cousin who attended an internship at Microsoft and had to go back to basics of handwriting (his printing looked like a 5 year old’s) and how to write a thank you note or professional letter). He dropped out because he couldn’t be to “class” on time. Back to grade school including the importance of being at work, or any thing you have signed up for or committed to, on time. Basics in life and in professional communities. 🤦🏼
Okay last thing: the sentence “I feel badly” means that you suck at the act of feeling. You’re performing the act of feeling incompetently. You’re doing it badly. Badly is an adverb modifying the verb “feel.”
The proper way to express negative emotions is to say “I feel BAD.” “Bad” is an adjective, not an adverb! What trips people up is that the noun that the adjective “bad” is modifying is omitted!
Restored, it reads “I feel bad feelings” or “I feel bad emotions.”
You're so right about that! There's a great movie, "A Letter to Three Wives", in which the English teacher character, played by Kirk Douglas, does a rant on "I feel badly".
When and where did the fashion of substituting "sht" for "st" at the beginning of words start? (Shtart?) Every female under 40 does this now -- not just your ordinary secretaries, hairdressers, and cashiers, but NPR announcers and fancy-pants TED Talk givers.
There's the legend about someone criticizing Winston Churchill for improperly finishing his sentences with a preposition. His purported response: "That is something up with which I shall not put."
Yes, I know. Every time someone writes a post complaining about any misuses of language, another person feels obligated to make the obligatory joke putting them down for “being persnickety.”
Your tone was somewhat light-hearted so I took the risk. Plus, that was grammar, not pronunciation. *Edit* -- There is a "third rail" here in the discourse about language. I pay attention to what you write. Any discussion that raises "irreverence" about language implicates John McWhorter's views, which you recently deconstructed. So when I imply I tread carefully, I meant I tread very carefully.
Fair enough. I may have jumped a little quickly. It's not out of nothing. Whenever I write about these things, I do in actual fact get mocked, put down, called "silly," and generally disrespected, even by friendly people. People really do think it's "funny" to care about words and they feel very free and comfortable to tell you that they think your expertise is not only worthless, but mockable.
No, Josh, I don't think the careful comment above is fair. You have the right to care about grammar and not rely on "third rail" descriptive linguists/compromise seekers for political gains. Compromise is not your thing, and that's why we follow you (at least I do).
It's "bonhomie" (I'm sure the misspelling is intentional). Mine is directed at Josh, whose work I have respected and followed for years, but certainly not at you, stranger. I owe you none, and vice versa.
I'm glad you included this addendum, Josh. I subscribe to a lot of Substacks, and all of the writers are intelligent and have opinions and knowledge that are well worth reading. 95% of them need an editor! I can't help myself. I see every damned misspelling, left out word, bad punctuation, or incorrect word usage that spell check couldn't catch, and it's distracting to my comprehension. These are good writers, but I can guarantee that you check, re-check and triple check your articles before you post them. It's quite difficult to catch one's errors, I will admit, but I automatically judge the writing skill of someone's piece that contains what I consider careless errors.
I don't always catch mine, and I cringe when I see them. Then I open the article and correct them later.
We all need an editor. It's often impossible to see your own mistakes right after you've written the draft.
I really love copy-editing other people's stuff, and it's not just the loss of money that's a bummer. I loved the work.
I spent more than twenty years writing technical reports. I would go over each one again and again looking for mistakes. After the final edition was printed, bound, and shipped to the client, I'd open my copy and the first thing I'd see was a typo.
"I don't care as long I can understand them. Why do you care?"
That's the ongoing debate between descriptivists and prescriptivists. The descriptivists won over the public schools years ago.
It's not
What's the "this"? Specify please.
Are you saying that every single example I gave, every one of them is "regional," and that's it? If you are saying that, that is incorrect.
You are also incorrect to characterize these pronunciation shifts as simply the same normal regional variations that have always occurred at the very same rate and in the same ways, if indeed that is what you mean by your reply.
No.
That last one- I'm laughing... XD Love it~
Off-en, not oft-enn. Ugh...don't even get me started on gifting, gifted. Giving, gave.
Yes, we had a perfect word for the act--give. Why did people have to start saying "gift" as a verb?
This made me LOL. Thank you!
Your right about all this, but you're post missed a golden opportunity to highlight the maddening misuse of homonyms. Their is little that is more grating than there practically ubiquitous misuse. Its enough to drive one mad.
Eye see what ewe did they're.
Congradulations on a whole nother great article.
😂
Might I add:
1) "Fixing to" - not "Finnin to"
Although I'm totally cool with it, when used in videos where the commenter is saying a variation of "kamala we finnin to put you out of a job".
2) "Washed" - not "warshed"
and the adjacent "needs warshed" verses the correct "needs to be washed".
“Warshed” seems regional, I noticed this 50 years ago.
Same as “college (cah-lege) being pronounced as “caaa-ledge” (a very flat “a”) in Indiana and I could tell those from Indiana from the Illinois residents, when I lived in Chicago for three years
Agreed, but it still bugs me.
Add some parts of Pennsylvania to the very flat "a" list. I had a grandmother who said "caaa-fee" for "coffee" but I was taught to be polite and not correct her.
Michigan, too, I think.
Niche = neesh, certainly to those of use in the UK, not nitch as some Americans pronounce it (but not all).
Also, the past tense of the verb “see” is “SAW,” not “seen.”
“I seen her yesterday” makes you sound like a rube.
Depth, width, and height. Not depth, width, and heightH. There is no “th” at the end of the”height.” Drives me nuts.
And another thing!
Can we please do away with the trendy, modern use of present participles, when a simple present -tense verb does the job?
I’m really likING this Mac and cheese. I’m feelING that you shouldn’t do that. You know what? I’m thinkING burgers tonight. Yuck.
I blame McDonald’s for this, somewhat (I’m loving it!). But it’s also the propensity toward open-ended, non-committal speech that keeps this trend alive. After all, the sentence “I like this” sounds so finite, so decided. So… oppressive.
I know...And what is with "I'm wanting to..."? Since when?
Curtain (curt’n) not curr-en
Bedroom (bedrume) not beh-run
Important (import’nt) not empor-ent
This has bothered me as much as the vocal fry of the early 2000s
But English and pronunciation, and handwriting are not taught in schools anymore.
I have a 31 year old son of a first cousin who attended an internship at Microsoft and had to go back to basics of handwriting (his printing looked like a 5 year old’s) and how to write a thank you note or professional letter). He dropped out because he couldn’t be to “class” on time. Back to grade school including the importance of being at work, or any thing you have signed up for or committed to, on time. Basics in life and in professional communities. 🤦🏼
Okay last thing: the sentence “I feel badly” means that you suck at the act of feeling. You’re performing the act of feeling incompetently. You’re doing it badly. Badly is an adverb modifying the verb “feel.”
The proper way to express negative emotions is to say “I feel BAD.” “Bad” is an adjective, not an adverb! What trips people up is that the noun that the adjective “bad” is modifying is omitted!
Restored, it reads “I feel bad feelings” or “I feel bad emotions.”
“I feel badly emotions” is nonsense.
You're so right about that! There's a great movie, "A Letter to Three Wives", in which the English teacher character, played by Kirk Douglas, does a rant on "I feel badly".
When and where did the fashion of substituting "sht" for "st" at the beginning of words start? (Shtart?) Every female under 40 does this now -- not just your ordinary secretaries, hairdressers, and cashiers, but NPR announcers and fancy-pants TED Talk givers.
There's the legend about someone criticizing Winston Churchill for improperly finishing his sentences with a preposition. His purported response: "That is something up with which I shall not put."
Yes, I know. Every time someone writes a post complaining about any misuses of language, another person feels obligated to make the obligatory joke putting them down for “being persnickety.”
Noted.
Your tone was somewhat light-hearted so I took the risk. Plus, that was grammar, not pronunciation. *Edit* -- There is a "third rail" here in the discourse about language. I pay attention to what you write. Any discussion that raises "irreverence" about language implicates John McWhorter's views, which you recently deconstructed. So when I imply I tread carefully, I meant I tread very carefully.
Fair enough. I may have jumped a little quickly. It's not out of nothing. Whenever I write about these things, I do in actual fact get mocked, put down, called "silly," and generally disrespected, even by friendly people. People really do think it's "funny" to care about words and they feel very free and comfortable to tell you that they think your expertise is not only worthless, but mockable.
No, Josh, I don't think the careful comment above is fair. You have the right to care about grammar and not rely on "third rail" descriptive linguists/compromise seekers for political gains. Compromise is not your thing, and that's why we follow you (at least I do).
Helen, I'm not detecting any bonhomme in your sentiment. No offense intended or taken.
It's "bonhomie" (I'm sure the misspelling is intentional). Mine is directed at Josh, whose work I have respected and followed for years, but certainly not at you, stranger. I owe you none, and vice versa.