The following thoughts about language are mine. They might not be yours.
From time to time, I write about words. Usually, I’m thinking about the misuse of certain words, or the gradual bastardization of a word that then becomes something other than what it truly means.
For example – awesome. Awe is a powerful emotion: ‘A feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear and wonder.’ Therefore, if someone is filled with awe…well, that’s simply wondrous. Of course, ‘awesome’ has been bastardized into something people routinely use in any circumstance.
“I finished writing my paper.” “Awesome!”
“I had an apple for lunch.” “Awesome!”
You get the picture.
Or, literally – which is the opposite of ‘figuratively.’ Right? But now, it has come to mean not literally, but figuratively. As in ‘I literally died when I saw him walk in the room!’ No, you didn’t. You figuratively died when you saw him walk in the room. You used the word incorrectly.
But no more. Now dictionaries are including a definition that includes ‘figuratively.’ So, apparently it’s okay to misuse the word. But why is it okay? If enough people misuse it, it’s okay? If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard someone on television misuse that word, I would be a wealthy woman.
Don’t get me started. I refuse to partake.
What’s irritating me today? (I can be such a curmudgeon!)
Maker. You must have seen it on blogs. Instead of using a specific word, such as ‘artist’ or ‘crafter’ or ‘quilter’ or ‘potter’ or ‘knitter’ or ‘oil painter’ or ‘furniture designer’ or ‘builder,’ we are now seeing the word ‘Maker.’ Everywhere.
Oh, please. It sounds incredibly pretentious.
And furthermore, really? I don’t understand. Does that mean because I make messes, make mistakes, make coffee, make someone happy, make up time, make myself crazy, make a sandwich, that I’m a Maker? Wow.
Technically, this isn’t a misuse. No, someone decided to coin this word, thinking it was better than the perfectly fine words already in use, and everyone has jumped on the bandwagon because we’re in the world of blogs. Which is also a new word, but in this case, it was coined to define something entirely new in this age of computers. So that’s okay.
Do me a favor. Please do not call me a Maker. I create, yes. I like to make scarves by crocheting them; crocheting being the actual activity, which is different than, for example, painting in water colors.
I like to quilt, knit, crochet, work on miniatures, work on my dollhouse. But I refuse to be a Maker.
And, I have a particular pet peeve with the word gifted. This particular use of the noun ‘gift’ started to show itself several years ago and it drives me nuts! You give a gift. You give a present. Someone gave me a gift for my birthday. It was a gift, given to me by my students. Thank you for the gift of your time. Thank you for the wonderful gift that you chose for me.
The verb is ‘to give.’ The action is giving.
Please do not ‘gift’ me with anything. Yes, I know that, once again, dictionaries are including this as a usage simply because it has become so prevalent in everyday use.
But not me. I can promise you that I will never ‘gift’ you with anything. I would love to give you a gift. Or present you with a gift. Or choose the perfect gift for you.
Yes, I know that language changes, that it morphs over time. After all, I work with words for a living. I get it. However, in my little world, I have strong feelings about its misuse as well as cutesy, pretentious terms for things that have perfectly adequate, and quite specific, names already.
Sometimes it just feels good to get on my little soapbox. I have to get these thoughts out. Don and I talk about this sort of thing all the time.
Since these thoughts are my personal language pet peeves, how about sharing some of yours? I bet you’ll point out things I hadn’t even thought of.
Happy Friday.
A Myriad Of… ! ! ! To me it sounds as bad as: A Many Of ! . And yes, I now read that this is an acceptable use of the word, but not to me…not to me. Oh, there are many more, but this one is on my mind today.
Good one, Shanna! You’re absolutely right!
We all have those little (and big) things that set us off — that seem to put our world out of balance. My pet peeve is bad manners, lack of respect or courtesy for others seem to be the new normal today. Just watch the circus that is our election process that plays out each day for the entire world to see – it’s so sad. Call me simple minded; but, if we all just treated each other as we want to be treated this world would be a much better place. And, don’t even get me started on how we treat animals in this country – it’s appalling. All of that is a sad reflection on our society.
Well, I totally agree and that will probably be another post entirely! Or two or three. The lack of civility in this world shows itself everywhere; in the election process, in everyday life, on talk shows, on what purports to be ‘news’ programming.
And you know how I feel about animals.
I feel some posts coming on.
I could not agree with you more. I do my best to function in today’s society as a kind and generous person. But I rarely ever experience the same in return. Maybe it is being simple minded but I just don’t understand why it is so very hard for people to show compassion, understanding, respect….just be kind to one another. But it surely seems to be the hardest thing for a lot of people in the world we live in today. It seems to me that too many people are ready at any given second to jump all over anyone for the smallest thing. Why do so may people expect the worst of others? Whatever happened to the idea of giving someone the benefit of the doubt before jumping to the worst imaginable conclusion?
Ha Ha! I love this Claudia! Thank you for the truth this morning. I’m still waiting for you to get on your political soapbox for a post. That is an opinion that I would be most interested in reading. I hope you and Don have a very blessed day!
I did, just a little, the other day. But I haven’t gone full out yet and I feel it’s just a matter of time. Have a lovely day, Belinda.
I did see your post of a “little” on politics. It only made me want more! I look forward to your post.
I first saw the use of “maker” in reference to a Maker Festival at Greenfield Village a few years ago. I had to stop and think for a moment because it seemed so full of pretence and really what does it actually mean? A fancy name for an arts and craft festival!
Exactly! I’ve seen it used in the same way recently. It’s pretentious! Thanks, Vicki!
This is a thought provoking post Claudia. I agree that people miss use words all the time and I admit I do at times. As for my pet peeves: when people pull a chair out from the dining table & don’t put it back, people who ignore you when you smile at them – a smile costs nothing and can make someone’s day. People in restaurants who give the server a hard time just because they can.
Agree with all of those, Janie. Add to that list people who don’t thank you when you hold the door open for them. xo
I agree wholeheartedly with you Claudia. I just took a little online test the other day on the meaning of words. It had 50 words I only missed one, but I was appalled at the comments of other people. Many, many people failed the test. And they were upset because their version of the words weren’t accepted. It’s very frustrating to me also.
And like you, don’t even get me started on the lack of manners. I was at Barnes and Noble last night. As I was standing there browsing through a particular book, a family walked by me with a boy about 10 years old carrying a box. As he walked past me he swung around and smacked me right in the stomach with the box. He looked up and saw what he had done and just kept walking. I understand it could have been an accident. I don’t think so. But it could have been. What has happened to a simple “I’m sorry?” His mother saw the whole thing and just kept walking. And now I’m ranting. Just a general lack of consideration for other people these days is one of my biggest pet peeve’s.
Blessings,
Betsy
I feel the same way, Betsy. What happened to manners and an awareness of others? My parents didn’t raise me that way. Yes, please, No thank you, Thank you, and I’m sorry, were words I was taught to say – always.
I got as far as “gifted” and had to leave a comment before finishing. I hate the use of this word, and I’m so glad you added it to your pet peeve list. I am afraid that technology has contributed to this and other grammar and spelling errors, and I suspect it will only get worse.
Another one that drives me crazy and makes me question our education system is “your” when “you’re” should be used. “Your awesome.” : )
Better stop b4 I get carried away…
Oh yes, that drives me crazy, too! Your welcome is something I see a lot.
Do we gift a gift???
My two pet peeves are starting a sentence with the word “so yeah” and or saying “sort of”, as in “So yeah I had this idea for a book about the sort of coffee houses in Brooklyn that sort of have taken over some of the older shops that sort of weren’t speaking to the younger generations so yeah, I wrote the book and I’m hoping it will be made into a series for Amazon Prime so yeah.”
I have to say I hear sort of alot on NPR type stations . It is as if “sort of” has become the word like for the young adult crowd.
Oh, yuck! You’re right – I think I’ve heard that as well. It’s a helper, a false ‘sort of’ or ‘I’m like…’ Thanks, Corinne.
Amen! Today’s irritating habits in my world are abbreviations: NP (I receive this in e-mails at work constantly when I send an e-mail thanking someone for doing something for me…they reply “NP” – it means no problem), UR instead of your or you’re (or just U for you in texts), thx instead of thanks (typing 3 more letters takes too long?). And manners (or lack of) as others have mentioned. I need to stop – I’m making myself crazy!!! (is that literally or figuratively?)
I believe it’s figuratively – at least I hope so!
I will never use NP or LOL or UR or U. That comes from kids that text at the speed of light. I think I can take the time to complete the word, thank you very much! Thanks, Vera!
I haven’t heard some of these words used in the way described. ‘Maker’ is the worst to me. Wow! I’m appalled at bad manners and the lack of consideration for others in our country right now. I love you on your soap box!
hugs,
Linda
Get ready, Linda, with the country the way it is, specifically the political arena, there will be more coming.
May I just say”Ginormous, Humongous,” and my all time worst? “Busted” “it can’t work it’s Busted”it puts the person speaking onto a whole new light as far as I’m concerned. Similar to the feeling I would get forty,fifty,sixty, years ago,(and to this day) when some one uses ain’t, just like it’s a real word! Thanks for this very good discussion. Prayers, and good, peaceful, Loving, thoughts to you and to Don. Judy A-
Yes, when did ginormous and humongous become words? Most likely, very recently indeed! Thanks, Judy!
thanks, Claudia. i agree with what you and the commenters above me have all said – particularly about the lack of manners and compassion in the world today. sad – and scary about where that may lead.
here are two phrases i’d like to see go away:
using the word/noun “adult” as a verb, as in “i don’t want to adult today”. (ugh!)
“i die” in response to seeing something they like. (no, please don’t say/write or do that. for someone who is grieving the actual death of a loved one, those words can be like a punch in the stomach.)
thanks.
hope you all have a peaceful weekend.
kathy in iowa
My personal pet peeve is the misuse of “then” and “than”…then again, there is always “their, there, and they’re”–haha!
Oh, I’m with you on that one, Jeaninne. Amen!
I haven’t heard the use of adult in that way…oh goodness, I don’t like that either!
‘I die’ also drives me up the wall. It’s tasteless, especially for those who are truly grieving. Thanks, Kathy.
Darn! I’m a maker who wanted to gift you with something awesome. :D
is it ok to use lol!!!
Ha! Love that! You make me laugh, Barbara! xo
ps – love the blue glasses and little vase/pencil holder!
The blue glasses are used at the computer, Kathy! The vase/pencil holder was a gift from a friend. Or should I say, “She gifted me with the vase?”
Just thought of another–“cray cray”—that makes me think a person is cray cray if they cannot say the word crazy!! We have to laugh it off, right?
Oh my god, yes. Cray cray is another annoying thing that actually takes longer to say than ‘crazy.’
My current word usage peeve is omitting ‘of’ when using the NOUN ‘couple’. As in “I have a couple socks” instead of “I have a couple of socks.” It is the same as saying “I have a pair socks.” Who would say that? This may be a regional thing which is common in areas other than the South. Believe me, we Southerns have plenty of language short-cuts, just not that one.
I have noticed ‘Maker’ being used in place of ‘Craft’ for festivals and sales and assume the intent is to sound more artistic rather than hobby-like.
I love this topic or should I say “This topic is literally awesome”?
To me, using Maker makes it sound much less artistic! I keep using the word pretentious for that one.
Do you think they say ‘couple socks’ and ‘pair socks’ because they’re in too much of a hurry to say the ‘of?’ I wonder. I would be yelling at them if I was their teacher, or their coach. Thanks, Kaye.
I was told by someone that “epic” is the new “awesome”. and that’s just as bad as far as I’m concerned. I couldn’t imagine a sandwich being any more awesome than epic quite frankly! (And I’ve heard that quite frequently.). And manners….they seem to have left the planet…common courtesies no longer seem to exist in in today’s world. I enjoy your soapbox posts so very much…mainly because you say so eloquently what I seem unable to say. Can’t wait for the political one! Enjoy your day! ;)
It is definitely just as bad. Epic has a far more expansive meaning than that usage would indicate.
The political one might take a few days to write….
How about the use of “myself” rather than “me”? There is an ad on the radio where the optometrist says “come see myself or Dr. So and So for your vision needs. It seems the word”myself” is being overused and people are afraid of the word”me”.
Oh lord. Yes. That drives me up the wall! It’s simply wrong!
How about the word “ones” How can the word one be plural? Such as… Which “ones” do you want? Shouldn’t it be ..which one do you want? if you want only one.. or which of these do you want? If you want more than one.
The other word is “fun” used as a adjective. We had a “fun” time. Why not say, “We had fun”..I am sure you have heard this used in other ways, but I cringe when I hear these two words used in this way.
Yes. Or the question should be rephrased as ‘which of these do you want?’ I cringe along with you, Bonnie!
Great post. I live in far, far West Texas and the “dumbing” down of America has reached “epic” proportions here. Between politics and language and the newscasters, (both local and national) I have to pick my battles. Makers, awesome, and especially “so like..” are on my list …but the one that really gets to me is : for free, as in you can get it here FOR FREE. AAARGH!
Hadn’t thought of that one, Melissa! But you’re right – I’ve heard it, too. (Am I getting too used to hearing it? That’s not good!) Thanks!
And now nothing has a price, it has a price point. Ugh!
Again…a wee bit pretentious, don’t you think? Thanks, Brenda!
Why, thank you for asking!! My pet peeve is people saying ‘have a good one!’ People say this all the time, rather than ‘thanks for stopping in’ ; ‘it was good talking to you’; ‘sorry to hear of your health issues’; (can you imagine just telling someone you’re having major surgery or something and, as they leave, they say ‘have a good one’!!). Maybe this isn’t what you’re speaking of, but it drives me crazy!!
Yes, it’s a generic, non-specific response to someone that could end up being very insensitive! Thank you, Myra.
Excellent post! Yesterday, I was reading a short article in Country Living magazine about a young couple. In the article they described themselves as a pair of “creatives” living in NYC – talk about sounding pretentious!!!
Oh boy. I’ve seen that one, too. Incredibly pretentious! Thanks, Liz!
If I can add one more, it would be “one off”. It’s used in reference to an individual thing or event, something that happens only once. “Will you do this again, or is it a one-off?” “One of” would still be annoying, but sounds more correct…
Yes, I see that frequently – my dictionary says it’s used mostly in Great Britain. I wonder if anyone reading can tell us more about it?
Well, you’ve covered all of my major word usage peeves, so I don’t have much to add, but “a tad bit” grates on me. A tad. A little bit. A bit. All you need. And another one is the use of qualifiers with “unique.” Unique stands alone. Oh, and ,”I heart it.”
And while I’m being so crabby, I’ll add some of the phrases from the restaurant world that are irksome: “No problem” as a response to just about anything; “Are you still working on that?”; and, of course, the obligatory response of, “awesome!” to everything from, “I’d like that on whole wheat toast,” to, “No dessert, just the check please.”
I haven’t heard that particular combination. I say ‘a tad’ frequently, but not with the addition of bit! Seems redundant.
Anything with I Heart drives me up the wall. Hate it!!
Here I am again to say “price point” and “at this point in time.” Sometimes the latter phrase for “now” is made even sillier with the insertion of “particular,” as in,”at this particular point in time.”
It’s that kind of thing that someone uses to appear more formal or more official. It’s ridiculous!
“I could care less.” Shouldn’t that be: I couldn’t care less?
Fun post.
Yes, it should. If you could care less, than there’s still a way to go! Thanks, Kim!
Thank you, Claudia, for your thoughts…and asking for ours. I’m thankful for your defense of proper word usage. I read all the comments to see if mine would be shared. They were, but still want to elaborate on them:
“No problem!” Oh, this sounds like nails scratching on the chalk board to me where “You’re welcome!” is the correct response.
The other word, “awesome.” Having looked up the definition of this word, years ago, I reserve this for God alone. No action, accomplishment, or person is worthy of such description. And now I’ve read today about “epic”…oh dear me…
Yes, “No problem” seems to be another one of those non-specific, generic responses that don’t fit the situation.
I don’t dare say this post is awesome. ;-)
My biggest language pet peeve right now is when clerks at stores say, “Have a good one!” when you’re done with your purchase and getting ready to exit the store. I always want to reply (but I bite my tongue), “Have a good what? Do you mean good DAY?”
You’re so right – a good what? It’s grating, for sure.
Okay, this might get me into some trouble, but I gag almost every time I see how someone feels”blessed” on Facebook …..as in “at the beach and feeling blessed” “eating a corned beef sandwich and feeling blessed”. Don’t get me wrong, I love when people can really stop and feel the everyday blessings that we encounter each day, but I think that the term is overused and it makes me very snarky. ?xxoo
I do agree that it’s way overused on Facebook and on blogs. But especially FB. It’s almost as if those who use it in that way want to let us know they are such a humble and thankful person! I have a FB friend who is guilty of that one, Ann Marie.
Oh, is ‘snarky’ a real word???? ?
Yes! And it’s one of my favorites!
Love today’s post and the comments! In addition to agreeing with you and all your commenters, my three pet peeves:
1. Using “I” and “me” incorrectly, especially using “I” as the object.
2. When did “trend” become a verb? I’m hearing more and more newscasters giving the news tease, “and blah blah blah is now trending”.
3. The mispronunciation of “mischievous” to make the word sound like it’s spelled with a third “i”, as “mischievious”.
I understand that language, like forms of life, constantly evolve, slowly, as in mammals, or quickly, as bacteria. The evolution of language is closer to the evolution of bacteria, especially with the downright speediness of technology. So, I can sorta kinda accept pet peeve number 2, but number 1 and 3 deal with the structure of language, and I can’t agree to those as acceptable evolutionary changes to our language.
Thanks for giving me the soapbox for a little bit, Claudia…!
Yes, yes, yes. Trend as a verb has come out of Twitter, I fear. It’s like gifting. It’s a noun that is now being turned into a verb. Do not like. #3 makes me nuts, as you can imagine. I’ve had to correct actors when they say it that way. Thanks, Wendy!
I cringe every time I the heard the word awesome! Both incorrectly and overly used and “epically” annoying ;-)
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
I’m with you, Susan. Same here!
Remember, once there was actually an English language! It has definitely been destroyed in recent years, especially here in America. I even find myself misusing words, colloquialisms and phrases which were not taught in English schools back when I was a child. We had to use the ‘Queen’s English’ – think dialog on Downton Abbey – and woe betide (who uses that anymore?) any school kid who spoke otherwise in class – those ruler raps across the knuckles really did hurt!
Mary –
I use ‘woe betide’ but then again, I work with Shakespeare a lot. I also use ‘woo’ and ‘i’faith.’ Thanks, Mary!
Great post! I love it when you get all steamed up about something, Claudia. And on the topic of pretentious language, let me add NANNY to the group. This one kills me [figuratively – LOL] Everyone these days has a nanny. Yeah right. Here’s my spin on it. You and your husband are having a date night and that’s great – dinner and a movie. But unless the 20-year old feeding your kids Kraft macaroni and cheese has attended a usually-two-year-minimum accredited educational program specializing in the care of babies and young children, what you have there is a BABYSITTER. Stop calling her a “nanny” – you’re not Jacqueline Kennedy. I’ll now climb off my soapbox as well. Have a great weekend!
Pretentious with a capital P. There’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned baby sitter! I don’t know about you, but I was a baby sitter and proud of it!
PS: I also forgot to mention that I cringe every time I hear the word “amazing”. Could we put that word to rest for a while ~ please!
Susan and Bentley
Someone running for President uses that word all of the time. Constantly. It’s definitely overused, Susan, and the true meaning has been lost. Thanks!
Great post, Claudia. The bad grammar and general misuse of the language that shows up everywhere you look nowadays is very aggravating and distracting to the reader AND the listener. One that really gets me is being out with my 80-year old mother and having the wait staff refer to as “you guys.” I am offended by this but it doesn’t bother my mom!
Oh, I know! Really? You guys? I bet you cringe, Dana!
Oh! and starting sentences and clauses with the word “ME” simply drives me insane (figuratively speaking, of course).
Me too! (Ha ha!) I kid, but you’re right!
So many of mine have been mentioned. “Blessed” as in “we are so blessed” is nails on a chalkboard for me. I immediately think the rest of that sentence is “and you are not”. Am I to believe / feel that the good Lord seriously blessed you and yours specifically as chosen ones? Maybe “we feel so blessed” would be so much less presumptuous. It is those little things, I guess.
“So, I was going to go shopping.” Does nearly every sentence truly need to begin with “so” ??
Pronouncing the word “didn’t” as di-int “oh, no you di-int”. ugh.
Bloggers who cannot differentiate between to and too in their blog posts (and their, there, and they’re). “When I painted it, the color was TO bright.” If it is too much, too few, or too many, there is an extra “o”!!
I talk to the computer as well as the television quite often.
And the basic grammatical information we received in 7th grade such as never end a sentence with a preposition as well as an adverb at the end of a sentence needs an “ly” added to it!!!! “She walked slow” makes me want to add “ly” when they finish talking. “she walked slowly.”
“K”,,,, I feel much more awesome now that I was able to share my epic thoughts about some of this cray-cray stuff. I am blessed! Hope you have a fun weekend and when it is over, hope it di-int go too quick. And, you have a good one to! (That paragraph was SO painful to write!!)
Oh, Chris, good point about ‘blessed’ – that is often the implication, isn’t it?
Starting a sentence with “So…” sounds as if we caught the speaker in the middle of something.
Don’t get me started on di-int – I hear it all the time out here. It’s like fingernails on a blackboard to me.
I am often amazed by the misuse of words in blog posts. I see it all the time, as does anyone who reads blogs. If you’re going to write, do your best to check out the correct grammar. I still stop and check things when I’m unsure, and I used to teach English!
That final paragraph may have to be quoted in tomorrow’s post…it made me laugh out loud! (And I refuse to use the L_ _ alternative!)
It really bothers me to read something with the wrong spelling of a word; for example – there, their; two, to, too (Is this no longer taught in school?); ware, wear, etc. I also find it annoying when my friends comment using their grandchildren’s slang language. For instance, commenting that something is “the bomb” – really?
I agree! It isn’t cool when older people try to use the same slang that much younger people use…it only looks hopelessly awkward and definitely un-cool! As to what is taught in school nowadays, I’m not sure, but it sure isn’t what we were taught years ago.
One of my peeves is one of my friends start nearly every sentence with the word ‘actually’ ! Actually this, actually this and actually did you know? Have a wonderful day ♥
Good one! It only works if someone had just said, “I don’t believe you.” And then they counter with “Actually…” Otherwise, why even say it? Thanks, Janine!
My mom would cringe when she heard somebody use the word ‘clarify’ in a sentence, like ‘let me clarify my thought.’ She would say, ‘the only thing you clarify is butter.’ I never quite understood all that.
Hmmm. I will have to ponder what you’re saying about ‘gifted’ – I have used the expression, “I have been gifted by” this or that.
I love your blue-framed eyeglasses.
Gifted just doesn’t sit right with me, Vicki. I hear it on Home Shopping channels all of the time. And I read it on blogs. What do we gift? A gift? It doesn’t make sense. Ask Don. I mention it every time it comes up on television!
The blue eyeglasses are rather old – I use them for the computer. I used to wear them in my profile picture on the old Blogger version of this blog.
Has anyone mentioned ” in my minds eye”? Why oh why?!
Oh, right! That’s another good one, Deb!
Poor grammar is my pet peeve. Lately, I am seeing more and more people using “that” when “who” should be used. For example, “Sue and Sam that are my cousins came to visit”. That sentence should be “Sue and Sam who are my cousins came to visit.” “Who” when referring to people, that when referring to things. “Today he is wearing his shirt and pants that are red.” would be correct.
That’s a new one to me – is it a regionalism, I wonder?
I love this Claudia! Though I’m positive I use a number of these on a much too regular basis ;)
Well, all of us do at some point – I am certainly guilty of it at times!
There are words or the use of words that irritate me..but the worse thing for me is the lack of manners…if parents can’t teach them at home…maybe manners should be taught in school…
I agree.
I agree with your pet peeves and most of those written by others. Here are a few additions: Her and her husband instead of she and her husband; curriculums instead of curricula; a bacteria instead of a bacterium; and lastly pronouncing picture as pitcher. I do love the word slickery. My son was the first person I heard use the word (he was in kinder). He was describing why he was covered in mud after trying to climb a rain soaked hill near our house. He combined the word slick with the word slippery. We still use it now and then.
Slickery is perfect! That should be coined as a new word and put in the dictionary!
My current pet peeve is the misuse of “and I” instead of “and me”. Paula and I are going to the store. Gene is going to the store with Paula and me. I see and hear this everywhere. Gene is not going to the store with Paula and I, for crying out loud!
Yes, that one bothers me too, Debra.
The one that really drives me nuts is the pronunciation of escape as excape. My husband does it. And then there is the use of woman as the plural instead of women. I suppose people type and don’t read it back to correct their spelling.
I wonder, as a speech teacher, if it’s because articulating the [s] and [c] takes more effort? The tongue has to be placed behind the teeth for the [s] and then the back of the tongue has to be used for the [c] so for some, making both sounds in the back of the mouth is easier? Like ask becoming [axe} – same sort of thing.
I think I will be afraid to comment here now. I live in a poor part of the country. Many don’t even have a high school education. The way most speak around here, including myself sometimes, would drive you crazy, Claudia. My own daughter, who has a learning disability due to oxygen lost during her difficult birth, really struggles with language. Speaking and spelling correctly, much less forming a coherent sentence has always been very difficult for her…. But she has a heart of gold, good manners, along with most of the people around here. I, personally, don’t really care about the absolute correct usage of words. I just don’t give words that much power in my life. But how someone treats another human being, animals, etc. is what is important to me. I have to use a wheelchair when I go out now since my surgeries and I have seen so much kindness and good manners coming from people that hold doors for me, get things off store shelves for me, etc. Most of these people do not speak well at all, but that has never mattered to me….
I have really enjoyed reading your blog, Claudia. I felt we shared so much in common with our love of the garden, animals, and our small homes. But I am not college educated and I’m sure I often don’t speak or write absolutely correctly. I don’t think I will comment here anymore for fear of being judged by you and others here, although I will continue to read…
Take care,
Lily
Lily, your comment is poignant and breaks my heart, in particular, what you wrote about your daughter. It is very easy for people, and I include myself, who have had advantages to forget how lucky they are. I believe Claudia is referring to trendiness and laziness, rather than regional figures of speech and dialects, of which there are too many to count in this vast country of ours.
Everyone’s voice is important here. Please don’t feel intimidated. We would love to read your comments.
lily …
i am sorry for the troubles you and your daughter have … may God bless you all.
i agree with nancy’s reply to your comment about claudia’s post and these comments being about people intentionally misusing words and not about a person’s education, cultural traditions, etc. i, too, hope you will keep sharing your opinions and know the world needs and benefits from them and you.
Oh, Lily – it sounds as if this is something that makes you uncomfortable and is a tender spot for you. I think you missed the point of the post, my friend. I was talking about ‘trendy’ use of words, which has nothing to do with education. I don’t care about what level of education someone has had. My husband did not go to college; neither did my parents – so that makes not one whit of difference in the way I view them or the way I hear them. I work with regionalisms and dialects for a living and they endlessly fascinate me and I want them to survive because I feel they are part of the rich tapestry of speech in our country.
Nothing I said has anything to do with the concerns you express in your comment. I think if you re-read the post you’ll see that. That your daughter has to struggle with a learning disability breaks my heart. I would never judge her or anyone like her. I think you know that. I am a teacher, after all, and have helped students with speech difficulties many times in the past. I have relatives with learning disabilities – they should never be judged and I would go after anyone who did.
I want you to feel free to comment here, Lily. What I spoke about in the post has absolutely nothing to do with the dialogue we have here in the comments. I’m sorry you misunderstood what I was writing about and, hopefully, my comment and the comments of other readers have helped to clarify what I was saying. You took it personally, but it wasn’t at all about the things you mention.
But I have to feel free to write from my heart in this space. And I will continue to do so. xoxo Claudia
Thank you all for your kind words. Maybe I was being overly sensitive, but I use most of the words complained about in the blog post and in the comments on an everyday basis. Like awesome and amazing are words I use a lot. Also, have a good one, no problem, and ain’t are just common usage around here and I’ve never given it a second thought, but we all come from different places. Mine is poor and southern. People don’t pay much mind to language around here and I often feel I come off sounding dumb to those more educated. I try hard to write intelligently, but it takes a lot of effort on my part….so please forgive me, Claudia. Of course, you should write about whatever you want as it’s your blog. I have kept you, Don and Scout in my prayers for awhile now and cried right along with you when she passed away. I know how hard it is to lose your heart dog or cat….it takes so much out of you, the pain is overwhelming. So please know how much I care and that I truly didn’t mean to be criticizing your blog post.
I love your blog, Claudia, and I hope you don’t mind me and my granddaughter saying your dollhouse is both awesome and amazing! We often look at pics of it for inspiration in decorating the dollhouse I gave her for Christmas.
Love,
Lily
Oh, Lily, I didn’t think you were criticizing the post at all! I just wanted to reassure you that these are pet peeves of mine or of others, but goodness knows, pet peeves vary a lot according to who has them. I’d much rather you feel comfortable here, my friend. No one is or will judge you.
I think you write very intelligently. I’m in your corner!
xoxo
Claudia
Thank you, Claudia! :-)
I think that the things to which you’re referring here have absolutely nothing to do with education, but with cultural, trendy, misuse of words. One pet peeve I have is the person who responds with, No Problem!’ when I thank them for something. It never occurred to me that it might have been a problem. Manners and normal polite speech have been thrown out., it seems. As for Maker, I think of God as the maker, not anyone else. I love words and love stretching my vocabulary, but not with mere cultural laziness. Good post (but not awesome) ;-))
Thank you, Judy. That’s exactly what I was writing about. I love words in all their variety and I love learning new ones.
I’ll “reach out” to you makes me crazy!!! Sounds like you want to give me a hug.
Oh, right! That’s become standard business talk, hasn’t it?
I am with you on maker, but using make as a noun is even worse. Referring to something you’ve created as “my make” is just ridiculous.
I’m also driven mad (figuratively!) by the pseudo intellectual normative in place of normal.
As for blogs, I’m sort of shocked at the number of people who can’t differentiate between loose and lose. There are also quite a few bloggers who eat in a dinning room!
Oh heavens, I hadn’t heard ‘my make.’ Very silly. I wrote about ‘dinning’ once on this blog and, wouldn’t you know it, I offended someone who was a fellow blogger and friend. Though I had never seen her use the word in her posts and wasn’t even referring to her, she took it personally and never spoke to me again. Obviously, it resonated with her – I’m not sure why. I wrote a personal note to her, but she never responded. I guess we all have our sore spots.
As we live close to the German border and there are quite many Germans in our parts of Switzerland, the German language has a strong impact on Swiss German. The words that I hate the most are “Männer” (men) instead of Mane and “Pferd”, which actually is a singular, (horses) instead of Rösser. You can hear it everywhere. And I am allergic to apostrophes at the wrong place be it English or German.
Anyway, I can perfectly relate to your worries. Regula
I’m with you on the apostrophes, Regula!
Adding , at, after a question, as in;
‘Where is it at? Versus ‘Where is it?’
Why the extra At.
How did this come about?
I’m not sure. Is it a regionalism? This is the kind of thing I used to love to research when I was a teacher.
Amen, girlfriend….. I agree with you completely! How about “all the sudden” instead of all of a sudden?
I wonder if it’s become accepted because everyone speaks so quickly and they’ve eliminated the ‘of?’
Since reading all these comments yesterday, the words “awesome” and “amazing” have jumped out at me on the many blogs I read, and they’re more annoying than ever! Especially when they’re in CAPS!
Thanks for an interesting post, I really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments, and I agree with all the pet peeves listed.
Overused, that’s for sure, Moggie!
Loved this post! One expression that sets my teeth on edge is “My bad”. Let’s hope that expression dies out before it becomes a part of our colloquial language like “Have a good one”. I doubt if we are ever going to stop hearing that expression. I also fear “No problem” is with us forever as well. I am also beginning to despair that many people will never grasp the difference between “Your” and “You’re” despite all of the Grammar Police trying their best to correct them! How can they be so oblivious? On another subject, I would love to hear your opinion of the cessation of teaching cursive handwriting in schools!
Oh, I hate ‘my bad.’ It’s wrong in every conceivable way! I’ll write about cursive someday. Just know that I do not agree with ceasing to teach it! It’s important and, I don’t care how many people text or write emails, we need to know how to write in cursive.
What about curate?
‘I was asked to curate a collection of… on EBay…”
AAARGH!
I’ve written about that one before, Sherry. It cheapens the word, making choosing things that you like ‘curating.’ Ridiculous! What must real curators be thinking about all of this?
Claudia, the word “awesome” has always bothered me, knowing that ONLY God is awesome. Someone has mentioned this.
“Gifted” seems so wrong and I hear it all the time on tv. I was going to mention it to you and then kept reading and you mentioned it.
Here’s another one: bidnez. It may be a regional pronunciation. (I have lived all over the South and I’ve heard it all my life.) The word “business” does not have a “d” in it!! Bidnez is so very irritating! ??
I bet you hear gifted on the home shopping channels. I cringe every time I hear it!
I think ‘bidnez’ is a southern dialectical regionalism. It’s part of the broader Southern dialect that often pops up when I have to coach a Southern accent.
Oh my….a lady after my own heart (well, not literally :^)
There are so many word irritants, that I could not type them all! Ideal instead of idea, the misspelling of the word(s) to/too/two, draws for drawers, right, like, ummmmm…all misused!
You are wonderful to bring these problems to light! I’m thankful to have found a like-minded soul out there in the big world!
Blessings to you,
J
Thank you!
Claudia,
I am battling a major migraine that is affecting my vision, but I have to say how much the word maker bugs me. You’ve got some other good examples, but that one is just weird.
xo
Sheila
I agree!