• From my walk yesterday:
Via the iPhone.
They’re like sculptures.
• It’s September and, thank goodness, there are still flowers blooming everywhere. Roses, phlox, geraniums, zinnias, rudbeckia, and morning glories.
Morning glories grown from seed are unpredictable. We had morning glories growing along two long lengths of a chain link fence when we were living in San Diego. Blooms were everywhere and they emerged like clockwork. They were perennials in that climate.
Here? It’s different from year to year. I soak the seeds, plant them in the ground and, very slowly, little vines appear. By about August, the vines are twining around the chicken wire fence. The first year I planted morning glory seeds, I had lush blooms for a month or so. Everywhere.
I’ve come to realize that every year will be different. Case in point: this year, the spindliest vines that look like they could be uprooted in a strong wind are producing the flowers. The lush and long vines that are providing lots of leaves and growth? Not a bloom in sight. I live in hope, however. Every day I examine those vines for signs of a little bud.
So far – nothing. This one is on one of the smallish vines.
• Every once in a while, I write about language, usually in the form of a pet peeve concerning current usage. At the moment, I’ve got two of them swirling around in my brain. I’m absolutely sure there are more, but these examples have been especially troublesome lately.
And before you say anything, I’m sure the dictionary has already expanded its original definitions to include these changes, but then again, some dictionaries have now caved as to the meaning of ‘literal’ to include a definition that is “Used to acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or strong feeling.” (See this link.)
Ummm…that isn’t the meaning of ‘literal.’
Just because a lot of people are misusing a word, i.e., literal, doesn’t mean we should change the meaning to accommodate them.
Number One (and I’ve mentioned this one before): Curate. If I see it one more time I’m going to scream. As in: bloggers ‘curating’ a collection. In reality? They picked their favorites. It’s a rather grandiose way to describe something we all do at some point when looking at items online. A curator is someone who cares for and tends to and chooses a collection, as in someone who works for a museum. That sort of curator has years of training and expertise and knowledge. If some online store asks a blogger to choose their favorite pieces, which is, in effect, an advertising and promotional tool for that store, that’s what is being done. Favorites are picked. Curated? No.
Number Two: Gifted. Gift is a noun. If I receive a gift, I am being given a gift by the giver. If I wrap a present, I am giving a gift to someone. Give is a beautiful word. Why cheapen it and the selfless action of giving by saying ‘gifted?’
It drives me a wee bit nuts. And I hear it everywhere.
Yes, I know language changes. After all, a great deal of my professional work is about language. But taking a word and making it ‘less than’ makes no sense at all to me.
You give a gift.
A curator is an expert who devotes him/herself to working with and caring for a collection.
But then again, and I’ve also talked about this before, suddenly everyone is an ‘expert’ in this online world.
I know a whole lot about certain subjects, but I’d never call myself an expert. That’s not false modesty, it’s just the truth.
Sigh.
Happy Tuesday.
HI,
I could not agree more! Another word variation that drives me nuts is “congrats.” Please say the whole word.
Best wishes to you, Don and your beautiful Scout. Have a great fall season.
Kaye
I fear I’m guilty of that one occasionally. Thanks for reminding me that whole word is a beautiful word!
Curate is also one of my word pet peeves, along with “vignette” and “play date”.
Don’t get me started on ‘vignette!’ Drives me nuts!
I hadn’t thought about it, but you’re right – what the heck is a play date? Can’t kids just play with each other?
I happen to love the word, vignette! I love creating them…and it’s such a beautiful word. So much prettier than arrangement or composition. :-) I know the word is terribly overused though.
I like the word, Melanie, in fact one of my favorite shops in San Diego is called Vignettes. I think you’re right. It’s overused and any arrangement of any sort is now called a vignette!
I know that almost everyone (on television, at least) uses it, but I will never get used to hearing impact used as a verb! Drives me nuts. Pronouncing the ‘t’ in often is irritating to me, as well. And speaking of the morning glories this year, mine were expected to be blue, as usual, but this year on those spindly pale vines I have striped ones! Most are white with the palest of blue stripes. A few are striped with about half blue and half white. They are still beautiful, but don’t show up very well climbing on my white deck railing. Who knows why?
Oh, you’re right about impact! That bugs me, too.
I just worked with an actor who couldn’t understand why we didn’t want him to pronounce the ‘t’ in often. He even argued about it with the director and me. I finally just told him to do it.
Never heard of not pronouncing the “t”. Must be a new thing.
No, it’s not new – been around for decades and decades. I think pronouncing the ‘t’ is regional – depends on where you live and where you were brought up. Both pronunciations are technically correct.
I agree I’ve never heard of NOT pronouncing the “t” as well. Am I wrong in that with the “t” is how you are shown to pronounce the word in the dictionary?
Is this common in the world of acting to not pronounce the “t”? If so, may I ask why?
When I was in school I was taught that the “t” in “often” is silent. Then, Kennedy became president and he pronounced the “t”, and we were taught that was unique to Massachusetts. I think it is regional.
Preferred pronunciation is a silent ‘t’ I think – but there are lots of regional differences out there and they are what makes American Regional Speech so varied and charming.
I was never taught that the “t” was silent in often, I’ve never heard that as well. I think you are right about the regional thing for sure. I’ve lived in the South, the MidWest and on the West Coast. And believe me the language from each varies.
Thanks for the lesson!
In real life, I like regionalisms. And on stage, if they are appropriate – as in a dialect. Variety is the spice of life!
I worked for years, and still do, with what is called Standard American Speech – a form of speech that is free of regionalisms and full of (hopefully) clear, crisp and rich articulation. Often with a silent t is preferred. Just like we don’t articulate the (t) in ‘soften’. I grew up in the Midwest and we said it without the ‘t’ – Both pronunciations are correct, however. If you look it up in a standard dictionary, you’ll likely see something like [of(t)en] which lets you know that the t is generally silent, but is pronounced in some regions. And that’s just fine. If I were coaching you in a dialect, we might choose to articulate the (t) depending on the dialect.
I’m sighing along with you Claudia. Incorrect usage of language drives me crazy. There are some pronounciations that drive me to fits of laughter though: “I’ll axe my Mother” for example, instead of “I’ll ask my Mother.” I used to hear that one all the time when I lived in NY. I’m a tad envious of your morning glories…we have beautiful vines this year, but so far not a single bud. Last year we didn’t even have vines, so I’m ever hopeful…just growing a bit impatient (as opposed to inpatient which I have heard used this way – ha-ha).
Yes, I hear that a lot, too. Good luck with your morning glories!
So funny to read this. I am the same – these things drive me crazy. But I have to say what is driving me mad these days are the grammar and misspelling of words that I am finding in books today. I read all of the time. It seems more and more that books are containing these errors. I don’t claim to be a grammar or English teacher and I’m sure I make my own mistakes. But come on, in published books?!
What in the world?! Is it because computers are being used for editing instead of the human eye? Is it because the humans are just not paying attention and doing their job correctly? I don’t know the answer. I only know how disappointing it is as a reader to see this. If a book contains more than one error of this nature it makes me almost want to put the book down.
Belinda
I wonder… maybe due to spell check on computers? I don’t know – but I catch a lot of errors, as well.
Oh, I do so agree! How about saying ‘the athlete medalled at the last Olympics’ Another thing is when people pronounce an H as haitch, and why say a hotel, or a ham, when it should be ‘an’. Another hate of mine is ‘I gave it 110%’ and not knowing the difference between ‘you and I’ and ‘you and me’ As for apostrophes, well, just don’t get me started . Ta Ta for now. Blessings
Well, the ‘an’ before hotel or ham is definitely British. Here in America we tend to say ‘a’ and though h is a semi-vowel, it’s not considered a pure vowel here. The difference between it’s and its is often not clear and sometimes, strangely, I see people writing an apostrophe s for all plurals. What?
I have the same peeves you do, as well as all your readers. It’s almost as if people are too lazy to learn the proper usage of a certain word, and now, because a misused definition is sooooo popular, even dictionaries are changing the definitions! But what gets me most riled up are the misspellings…by TV stations, newspapers, books, even some bloggers. Doesn’t anybody proofread anymore? Sorry about the rant….your flower pictures calmed me down! I’m curious…when do you plant your morning glory seeds? I’m wondering if you planted them indoors earlier, then transplant….would you have more blooms? Or is it just better to plant them directly in the ground? ;)
To be honest, I don’t know! I plant them directly in the ground outside. I’m going to amend the soil next year and see if that helps. I’ve planted them directly in the soil before and had lots of blooms…go figure!
Claudia, I completely agree with you! My undergrad degree is in English and I am frequently peeved when I hear or see these flagrant errors.
My undergrad minor was in English, so I understand!
Oh, those Morning Glories!! I think we chat about this every year. Mine bloom so much later than do those of others. I soak the seeds and plant them usually at the end of May, (and if my husband doesn’t behead them with the weed-wacker) they take quite some time until they bloom. They are just starting now, in fact. And I definitely have very few blooms this year, but a plethora of vines.
The sad abuse of our language and grammar continues. To, too, two….. than, then… I, me. Reading some blogs can be almost painful. Listening to some of the candidates as they (attempt to) speak, should also be a cautionary tale!
You’re not kidding! I cringe when I listen to some of them!
I think maybe a lot of the problem with the misuse of words on blogs especially in the comments is not paying attention and typing fast. I know I’ve been guilty of it before when I’ve not taken the time to proofread before submitting my comment. And then most of the time you cannot edit your comment. I guess we all just tend to get in a hurry too often these days.
Comments are one thing. Blog posts are another. I type quickly in my comments and have made a few mistakes in that area. But a blog post? It should be proofed and edited. (Hey, I’ve been known to see an error in a blog post that I wrote months ago and go back in and correct it!)
I HATE gifted! And vignette. And the mis-use of literally (“I literally died!” Really? Then how can you still communicate?). And don’t get this retired curator started on curate.
While I’m at it, I also hate awesome for things that are not, and adore, which I was taught was reserved for the deity and not for the curated vignette on the kitchen island.
Thank you for sponsoring this venting session.
Ah yes, I’ve written about awesome before. I absolutely hate the way it’s used for just anything.
Just to add that I don’t know how that hyphen got into misuse. Maybe the all-knowing autocorrect. And while I’m here I’ll add the phrase, “are you still working on that?” so ubiquitous in restaurants. I’m not working on anything, just enjoying my meal.
Oh, I’m sure it was the dreaded autocorrect!
I totally agree with your opinion about language. We are losing so much in this day of technology. It saddens me as I love language, the written word, and penmanship. We are becoming a very impersonal society.
I love language as well. It’s beautiful, poetic and it should be honored…
Hearing someone say “my bad” drives me crazy. I just finished reading The Drop by Michael Connelly. I do not believe that Harry Bosch would use that expression. Right there on a page the author had him saying those two words. It made me cringe.
Oh, right! I detest ‘my bad’ – I always think, “Your bad what?” How does that make any sort of sense?
Or, another phrase so often used by young people in the retail stores (at least in my area)…”Have a good one!” I am so tempted to reply, “A good one, what?”
Yep. Verbal shorthand, I think!
But in the States you pronounce pronounce ‘herbs’ ‘erbs’ and then we have vitamins and v(y)tamins. After 5 years in the states I still say v(y)tamins even though that was in the 60s and 70s. Also among pet hates are stadiums and podiums.( Its it’s) is straightforward, and I agree with you about the apostrophe on plurals, also whether you put the ‘ before or after the ‘ s.’ All I can say is that whomever said ‘We are two peoples divided by a single language’ was right. I’ll never forget going into a stationery shop in the US and asking for rubbers, also in the supermarket saying quite loudly ‘Oh, we’ve forgotten the Sunday joint’ lol (which I also hate!)
Too funny, Lesley! You made me laugh out loud!
Yes, we do say erbs for herbs. No one ever said it made sense!
Perhaps ‘gifted’ belongs to that strange vernacular known as legalese. I see it used quite often in relation to estate documents, some of which are positively archaic. The word that I don’t like is ‘signage’. I always thought the plural of ‘sign’ was ‘signs’.
Interesting thought, Barbara – about ‘gifted.’ I don’t like ‘signage’ either!
Amen!
Thanks, Barbara!
The local university newspaper printed a story by a journalism student who used the word “mass” for “mosque” and the word “intents” for “incense” in a recent article on various religious practices of students. My friend was so upset that she called the editor and the faculty advisor and they didn’t seem very concerned about the errors. Makes me wonder about the future of journalism!
They’re weren’t concerned? That is depressing. Who’s teaching these kids?
I love seeing those round hay bales in the fields. Your Morning Glory photos are gorgeous!
Have a great day!
Judy
You, too, my friend. I’ve been taking care of Scout and all the details as to registering the car. Once that’s all done, let’s have a phone chat!
I agree so much with all of those english errors. The one that drives me up the wall is ‘less books’ instead of fewer books!! The apostrophe s for plurals is getting so common I cannot believe it. I even saw it in a sign on a British tv show!!
As far as flowers, in our area we have none. The summer was so hot and dry most vegetation is dormant. Except for ferns. Those are doing okay, may survive.
Yes, what is it with the apostrophe s instead of just an s for plural. I must admit my mind cannot understand that one. Have their been no rudimentary lessons in writing or grammar? The mind boggles!
Love the hay bales. I never see anything like that where I live.
I’ve had a lot of reading to catch up with you, having been off the computer for multiple days.
My husband’s been gone on a job, we’ve been in a heatwave, I haven’t felt the best…and my elderly cat is in his last days. He won’t make his 19th birthday in October. I’ve made a difficult, gut-wrenching decision to humanely euthanize him at the vet’s come Saturday, when my husband is off work and can lend all manners of support…have made the appointment for the cat, but I don’t know if I can go through with it. Of course, today, he’s meowing up a storm, ready for breakfast, acting normal. When you say Scout is falling and struggling sometimes on her feet (although I love the shot of her being frisky), I totally know what this is…my cat’s back legs aren’t allowing him to stand up long enough while he’s trying to relieve himself, and I can deal with the mess, but I happen to believe that animals have emotions and feelings, and this is an indignity for him. He’s always been King; very noble. I’m not there every minute to see what goes down, but I think he’s stressed to the point of throwing up after one of these episodes; understandable. This hasn’t been a sudden thing; he’s been in slow decline (inevitable; look at his age…) for a long time. I look to the vet every step of the way; I think we’ve tried to give the old-man cat the best quality of life we can as he’s aged, like you do Scoutie. Buy my choices are ending up to only one. I’m so sad but it’s not like I didn’t know this day would come. I’ve had this cat as long as it takes to raise a human child from infancy to legal age. It’s quite a slice of my life.
Your car is very nice and I’m glad you made it back okay. For the zillionth time, I have admiration for you making that journey on your own. I could never in my life do it. One time I was following my husband in another car and he took me thru early-morning rush hour in L.A. freeway traffic, which I hadn’t expected. So jam-packed and solid with cars that lane-changing was nearly impossible; I had virtually NO experience with this kind of traffic…in, what, 10 or 12 total lanes of vehicles, both directions (insanity!). HE knew the way, but I didn’t and, of course, when you’re on the road like that and have to get to the right exits, there’s not much ‘think time’ if you’re unfamiliar, and I could only follow him so much as he left me in the dust. I found it really frightening, not having experience with that kind of driving. Once I was indeed on familiar ‘dirt’ and knew how to get the rest of the way home…and was off those awful L.A. freeways…I actually pulled over to the side of the road and just cried and cried and cried. Some sort of emotional overload/release. Believe me, he heard plenty from me after we got to our destination. It was akin to getting dragged into the deep end of a swimming pool…when you’re the non-swimmer and only accustomed to the shallow end!
I’m so sorry about your kitty. I think a caretaker (which is what I like to think of myself as) of a beloved pet usually has a pretty good instinct as to when it’s time to make that heartbreaking decision. We knew with Riley. I know how gut wrenching this kind of decision is. Thinking of you, Vicki, and sending lots of love and light your way.xo
Thank you, Claudia. I’m touched by your words. A needed hug via cyberspace.
I try to not write anything too negative or sad on someone else’s blog but I sense in you, of course, a fellow pet lover and one who understands the ups and downs of (your words; good words) pet caretaking/caregiving. (I have never liked the label of ‘pet owner’—I don’t consider myself the ‘owner’ of my dog OR my cats; they are free beings; I don’t ‘own’ them anymore than I own my husband!)
Thinking of you, Vicki.
My long-standing word pet peeve is pronouncing mischievous as “mis-chee-vee-ous”. What’s with the long “e”, and the extra long “e” before the “ous”?
You had a lovely walk…thanks for visually sharing it with us.
I don’t get that one either! There is no long e sound in ous – whoever started that should be thoroughly admonished!
I always say PAP-ricka. Others say Pa-PREE-ka. I recently discovered I’ve been saying a word wrong for years…I used to do this when reading as a really young person; words I sounded out to myself from print that I really had no clue of what they were, like ‘cathedral’ which, when a kid, I thought was CATH-e-dral. Anyway, I thought the word ‘ensconced’ was pronounced and spelled as esconced, not ENsconced. I worked with a girl once who would talk about her orange pekoe tea…she referred to it as puh-KO-ey. I think it’s PEE-ko, no? We’ve got a lot of strange stuff going on in our language!
I believe it is PEE-ko. But spelling is not always a clue, right? The English language can be VERY confusing!
I totally agree!! I remember hearing years ago a very funny remark about experts. Ex is past and a Spurt is a drip of water under pressure. Who wants to be a past drip under pressure. Not me! xx
Love that, Amy!
I agree with you and when I hear myself doing it….I want to punch my own nose!
Zinnias and morning glory, they remind me of my beloved grandmother.
Old-fashioned flowers, Deanna. They speak of times gone by.
All of the morning glories I have planted here in Indiana acted just like yours. Every year a bit different from the previous. I finally accepted that Mother Nature wanted it that way. Sunflowers, on the other hand, grew as tall as our 2-story house! It was a little spooky to look out of your 2nd floor window and have a sunflower in your face!
Claudia, my Aunt Marilyn was an English teacher for almost 40 years. She had the same opinion about language and grammar that you do. You would have gotten along with each other.
Hope you are having a humid-free day!
Hugs,
Deb
I forgot to plant sunflowers this year, and I could kick myself!
I’m sure I would have loved your Aunt Marilyn, Debbie.
I’m with you, Claudia!
I recently took a similar picture of hay bales, while out and about. It’s true they do look like statues!
I planted morning glories … But it was too late in the season, they sprouted but didn’t flourish– I will try soaking them next time.
Your argument for language and usage vs. modern adaptations appeals to the English student inside!
After 2 classes … I actually care about language again!
I had gotten lazy in writing AND SPEAKING!
Have a nice afternoon !
I get a bit lazy, too, but writing this blog helps, Pat. It keeps me on my toes!
Claudia, I thought of you today when I came across this latest trend in blog land – “amiright?” – all one word. Totally grates on my nerves! ?
Oh, groan! I haven’t seen that one, but I’ll keep my eye out. Yikes – that’s terrible!
Oh, I’m totally with you on those two words, my friend. I especially hear the “gifted” one. Drives me insane! And while we’re on the subject, can I just say that two of my biggest grammar pet peeves are people spelling loosing when they mean losing, and using it’s instead of its. Gaah! lol
I’ve always loved seeing bales of hay in huge fields and have wanted to photograph them, but never have (yet). Thanks for your photo.
I got into trouble with a reader over this one once (heaven knows why she got so upset) but I also get tired of people misspelling dining room as dinning room. Yikes!