It’s funny, I was coincidentally explaining to someone earlier today about the who/that distinction. It’s always someone ‘who’ and something ‘that’. Easy.
I'm someone who learned English as a kid in the States after my family relocated there for a decade, but I've been in the UK nearly all my adult life. British English has mostly had a good influence on how I speak, as I pronounce my T's and don't do any of that millennial upspeak.
However, saying "somethingk" is not something that I've adopted or ever will!
I think you need an "E" type reality show in which you and Kevin take very well known people and retrain/re-educate them on how to speak properly. There would be a contest with the winner being awarded a two week vacation at Mar-a-Lago. Think America's Next Top Model or the Biggest Loser. Your first contestants could be AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Lizzo and Dylan Mulvaney. My money is on Dylan.
Lindora27 - Thank you Josh. There are far too many folks who haven't the respect that our wonderful language deserves. My personal bugaboo is the chronic misuse of I/me by people who should know better.
Only within the past 10 years did everyone start saying "I GIFTED a blender to Mary." That's new. You didn't hear that until recently except on rare occasions, or when referring to an extraordinary gift.
It's twee and another example of inflating language to sound "fancy."
It's not officially "incorrect," I recognize that. But, subjectively, I find it to be poor form and grating on the ear.
Too many many nouns and adjectives are being used as verbs in recent years. Probably because no one is taught vocabulary in schools and no one reads anymore.
I dislike “gift” in particular because I am almost certain it was invented by a marketing wunderkind and forced on the public like a 5GW psyop. I say this because the first time I encountered it was a Christmas season in Dallas, TX — this was back when every one still watched at least some commercial television, and everyone listened to radio in the car — when every single f***ing mall jewelry store, Neiman Marcus, Sanger Harris, and the Cadillac dealerships simultaneously shit up the airwaves burbling about “Christmas gifting” and “gift your honey something special”….
So fucking obnoxious, and I'm sure you're right about the origin. It's the fact that nearly everyone instantly adopts this stuff that makes me truly disappointed, and if I'm honest, kind of disgusted with most people.
I love this! Prescriptivists unite! Some of our national decline over the last 20 years or so can be directly traced to the deterioration of the English language. Standards are necessary to maintain effective communication.
How about covering:
- Dangling modifiers
- Incorrect prepositions (e.g., "on accident," substitution of "around" where it should be "about," as in "a discussion around...")
- "Impact" as a verb (you've written about this recently)
- "Media" is plural, not singular
- Reflexive case and the use of "myself" in place of "me"
That causes me to ponder “maths” and “ shrimps” which I was taught as math and shrimp being plural already. If One Shrimp was wanted. Then it would be identified as one shrimp but a plate of it is called shrimp, not shrimps. Talk about grating on the ear….
Interestingly Brits study maths, Americans study math. I think the Brits have a point in that math is short for mathematics, but it still sounds strange if you're not used to it.
No Oxford comma?
How could you?
Right off the bat, I love the "Warning to Descriptivists". I'm looking forward to future entries.
It’s funny, I was coincidentally explaining to someone earlier today about the who/that distinction. It’s always someone ‘who’ and something ‘that’. Easy.
You are teaching a bogus rule
"Someone that" is grammatical. "That" can refer to persons.
Reel your attitude in right now or you're out of here. Don't come in here guns blazing with that tone. This is my space, not yours.
“Guns blazing.” Hah. Oh man, let a few in just so we can read your reaction.
You are my hero.
😆❤️
There are two different ordinary pronunciations of the word for 'mother's sister', or will you put your foot down and insist on just one?
That's a legitimate pronunciation split. I recognize that those exist. Neither is incorrect or preferred strongly over the other, so far as I know.
I hate the way that many politicians/ people in the public eye fail to pronounce 'ing' , dropping the g completely
The terrible flip side is using the hard G SO hard that it sounds like a K: "Interesting-k."
UGH.
Lots of Brits say "somethingk".
I'm someone who learned English as a kid in the States after my family relocated there for a decade, but I've been in the UK nearly all my adult life. British English has mostly had a good influence on how I speak, as I pronounce my T's and don't do any of that millennial upspeak.
However, saying "somethingk" is not something that I've adopted or ever will!
Puh dan ik. Great name!
PUH-AN-IK
I stan cor eded
I have always been annoyed by ungrammatical pronunciations. As I New Yorker, I was often “axed” to go to the “libery”.
And call the amblance
I think you need an "E" type reality show in which you and Kevin take very well known people and retrain/re-educate them on how to speak properly. There would be a contest with the winner being awarded a two week vacation at Mar-a-Lago. Think America's Next Top Model or the Biggest Loser. Your first contestants could be AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Lizzo and Dylan Mulvaney. My money is on Dylan.
Lindora27 - Thank you Josh. There are far too many folks who haven't the respect that our wonderful language deserves. My personal bugaboo is the chronic misuse of I/me by people who should know better.
"Talk to Susan or myself."
Josh you say everything I’m thinking - out loud and with gusto! Love it. 😍
“With gusto”. That’s why I love it too!
It's my specialty!
"You will not be helping yourself or educating yourself "
Said lovingly: go fuck yourself:)
This will help me rein in my southern accent. I'm all for it!
Gonna gift Jasmine Crockett a subscription to Disaffected 😂
And I ain't even gonna axe huh if she wannit
You mean..wa it, aight?
"Gift" as a verb=one demerit.
That is balanced by your humorous gift, but you're a wash now. :)
Your complaint on the use of the word “gift“ as a verb needs more explanation.
For now I’m going to disagree.
Only within the past 10 years did everyone start saying "I GIFTED a blender to Mary." That's new. You didn't hear that until recently except on rare occasions, or when referring to an extraordinary gift.
It's twee and another example of inflating language to sound "fancy."
It's not officially "incorrect," I recognize that. But, subjectively, I find it to be poor form and grating on the ear.
Too many many nouns and adjectives are being used as verbs in recent years. Probably because no one is taught vocabulary in schools and no one reads anymore.
"Too" many. Typo?
Thanks - Autocorrect on my phone. App didn’t usually let me edit but I see it’s working better now with the last update.
"Gift" as a verb fills a linguistic lacuna. Spanish has "regalar," which means "give as a gift," as opposed to "dar," which is "to hand over"
And yet "gift" as a verb is singularly unlovely, phonetically. We need another verb to fill that lacuna that doesn't sound so awkward.
I dislike “gift” in particular because I am almost certain it was invented by a marketing wunderkind and forced on the public like a 5GW psyop. I say this because the first time I encountered it was a Christmas season in Dallas, TX — this was back when every one still watched at least some commercial television, and everyone listened to radio in the car — when every single f***ing mall jewelry store, Neiman Marcus, Sanger Harris, and the Cadillac dealerships simultaneously shit up the airwaves burbling about “Christmas gifting” and “gift your honey something special”….
So fucking obnoxious, and I'm sure you're right about the origin. It's the fact that nearly everyone instantly adopts this stuff that makes me truly disappointed, and if I'm honest, kind of disgusted with most people.
Yes, it used to be “Christmas GIVING” or “GIVE your honey something special”. Some marketers thought they were clever
I love this! Prescriptivists unite! Some of our national decline over the last 20 years or so can be directly traced to the deterioration of the English language. Standards are necessary to maintain effective communication.
How about covering:
- Dangling modifiers
- Incorrect prepositions (e.g., "on accident," substitution of "around" where it should be "about," as in "a discussion around...")
- "Impact" as a verb (you've written about this recently)
- "Media" is plural, not singular
- Reflexive case and the use of "myself" in place of "me"
That causes me to ponder “maths” and “ shrimps” which I was taught as math and shrimp being plural already. If One Shrimp was wanted. Then it would be identified as one shrimp but a plate of it is called shrimp, not shrimps. Talk about grating on the ear….
Interestingly Brits study maths, Americans study math. I think the Brits have a point in that math is short for mathematics, but it still sounds strange if you're not used to it.