Language Purge
Every few years the French Government gets together and purges their language of foreign (non French) terms. They create an equivalent word in French and then remove the foreign word from the vernacular.
I think it is time we adopt a similar policy and here are some examples that I would like to see disappear from the English language:
We have to stop saying “Even Though.” The word “Though” is more than sufficient.
We have to stop using the word “Irregardless.” It is not a word, but I hear it more than I care to hear it. Worse yet I hear it from people who do a lot of public speaking. “Regardless” is all that need be said.
“Meteoric Rise” will have to go as well. Meteors fall, they do not rise.
If we speak and have speakers, why is it spelled “Speech?” It should be “Speach”, or change the others to “Speek” ans “Speekers”
I think it is quaint to say, You all” or “Y’all”, but really is should be “All of you.” And you East Coaster with the “Youz-Guys.” I always wanted to stab my ears with ice picks every time I heard that one.
“Cookies” need to become “Bakies” because you bake them, not cook them. “Buildings” need to be called “Builts.”
Any others?
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
21 Comments:
What I find disturbing is not the word "recognize" but the pronunciation of it. So many people pronounce it, "rec-a-nize" that it's (almost) become the accepted way. Grates on my nerves every time I hear it.
Your photo of today is also disturbing!
Why do they call them apartments when they are all stuck together.
The slowest traffic of the day is called rush hour?
The man who invests your money is called a broker??
Doctors call what they do practice???
Why is abbreviated such a long word????
And while I'm at it...why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections anyway?
Good pic Guy...but I'm more of a do I have room for my other foot in my mouth kinda person.
Moose
RE: "Meteoric Rise"
Actually, it depends on one's point of view when seeing the meteor. A meteor doesn't have to fall, either. Rings of meteors around planets don't fall or rise, they encircle.
Come to think of it ... meteors are the galactic version of bugs hitting a windshield.
Oh, and what I find annoying, is when people say "WaRshington". Where does the "R" come from? Do they say "TexaRs"? How about "AlaRska"? No.
I guess if a stereotypical Asian learned to pronounce the state's name from one of those people, it would become "WaLshington". I'm still waiting to hear that, cause it'd be ROFLMAO funny.
However, the French still have
"le week-end" !
What about "Warrington?"
I kinda like Y'All, but the "You'uns" drives me a bit nuts.
Walt, the 'R' in WaRshington,D.C. is caused by them using the extra 'Rs' they find laying around where they fell down there from those of us from Boston north who lost them when we "Pahked the cah in Bah Hahbah, Maine."
Come on now, ya'll is so damned efficient though.
I want to keep that one.
I want to know where all the adverbs have gone. Is it really so difficult to add "ly" to the end of a word?
Why do news reporters say "deadly" when they mean fatal?
How did conservative Midwesterners allow a chain of convenience stores to be named "Kum & Go?"
And then there's the matter of driveways and parkways. C'mon, y'all!
By the way, if you want to learn a pure language, look into Icelandic. They can still read things written a thousand years ago without translation.
Those french bastards.
They're always doing something needless.
Ya'll agree with this?
Actually, it depends on one's point of view when seeing the meteor. A meteor doesn't have to fall, either. Rings of meteors around planets don't fall or rise, they encircle.
Wrong. A rock flying around in space isnt defined as a meteor until it enters the Earth's atmosphere. While still in space it is a meteoroid.
No, G, I don't.
What would Auntie do without French Wine, French Cheese, French movies, French words, French music.
She would cease to be Auntie as y'all know her.
She would cease to be. Like an ex-parrot who is bleedin' demised. Polly wanna cracker?
N'est pas?
Auntie, the French would NEVER give in that easily. They'd just sneak that stuff in under the guise of being some other language. A newly introduced lingo billed by them as being "Similar to, but not ever to be the equal of, the language formerly known as French."
Guy, I'm afraid you're fighting a losing battle. Languages change, just as populations do. The only language that doesn't change is a dead one (one without living native speakers). Even modern Icelandic is different from Old Norse, and is presumably becoming increasingly more so as Icelanders interact more with speakers of other languages. I've decided it's much less stressful to sit back and enjoy the changes.
However, I have friends who have more than enough pet peeves to make up for my laissez-faire (oops, I mean lackadaisical) attitude. Some of my favorites:
"The reason is because..." instead of "The reason is..." -- the "because" is unnecessary.
"I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less." (how's that for a mixed message?)
The use of "utilize" instead of "use" (as a verb) as in "We will utilize our language skills as best we can." Similarly, "orientate" instead of "orient" and "input" instead of "put in".
Also interesting to me: There seems to be a spreading of the structure "X needs Y" replacing "X needs to be Y-ed" as in "this towel needs washed" vs. "this towel needs to be washed." I think the former is a dialectal feature from Western PA/Eastern OH, but I've heard it more and more lately. Similarly, the "postitive anymore" as in "Anymore, people just mangle the language any which way." seems to be spreading as well. I might could go on (I *love* double modals, and wish they'd spread further (or is it farther?)) but I'm sure many other people have something to say also.
Beth, you need to chill. The disturbing photo was chosen for that exact purpose.
Moose head, you are too good, and being half French and a native French speaker I figured you'd have addressed that as well.
Walt, you always seem to find the side road. Good work.
Mike, you've got the Maine accent? I always pegged you as one who would have that slow yet thoughtful Indian accent with well spaced pauses.
BP, I use Y'all as well.
Rich, Because Cum & Go was already in use.
G, pointless to us, very patriotic to them. Just like how useless it was when we renamed French Fries to Freedom Fries. Ever hear anyone order any of those?
Auntie, French Music...? Name some.
Frank, It's not really a battle. I'm just digging deep since I'm running out of things to blog about ; )
Irregardless is a personal shudder-worthy word. There are others - but I'm not caffeinated enough to think of them.
Drink up, Lori.
While this is not a word to get rid of... it bothers me when people use the word 'goes' instead of 'says' or 'said'.
So, like yah, she goes "Hey, what's going on?"
And, then I go "Nothing, you?"
Then she goes, "...."
Old Injun does speak with big pauses, really irritates people so much that it's fun to do. Love when they think you're wise or stupid and don't dare to declare either.
Kinda lost the accent being away so much. SWMBO has Maine accent, kidz accents range from Canadian, and British to southern & Philippino, depending on where they lived most while growing up. Strange bunch to have all together as you'd never think they were so closely related.
I'm with Frank on the "X-needs-Yed" thing. That drives me to claw my eyes out. And then I saw it on a TV show the other day. Saw it. "These joists need replaced" was superimposed over a splintered floor joist. We almost lost the TV, but luckily there was nothing heavy within reach to throw at it.
Language purge should be much simpler.
Try going a year using the words "suck" or "cool" only in conjunction with vaccum cleaners or temperature variations.
There's whole wide world of words that are just sitting there waiting to replace those crutches.
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