Just a
short rant
I am becoming ever more pedantic with the passing . . . days.
I find fault with so many things. For example, why cannot The Times of London
employ a proofreader? Every day there are glaring inaccuracies, misleading headlines
and grammatical errors in the reports that are printed.
I have an issue with the use of ‘gifted’ as a verb. When did ‘gave’
pass out of the English lexicon?
In fact, I am irritated by the use of nouns as verbs. To hear
that someone has ‘podiumed’ or ‘medalled’ makes my teeth itch. ‘Hoovered’ has
long been established as a verb but why don’t people ‘Dyson’ or ‘Shark’ or ‘Miele’
or ‘Numatic’?
However, maybe my greatest bête noire, is hearing ‘of’ used
instead of ‘have’, as in, ‘I could of screamed’, ‘They might of forgotten’.
‘Fun’ can never be an adjective either, as far as I am concerned,
but it is easier to say things like, ‘It was a fun time’, rather than think of
a more appropriate adjective. Certainly, I know some teachers who use ‘fun’ as
an adjective.
Perhaps the truth is that language is evolving and I’m just
not evolving with it.
Perhaps the truth is that I’m a miserable pettifogger, out of
touch with the times.
English is a rich and beautiful language and we do it a
disservice to reduce it to hackneyed phrases and impoverished vocabulary.
Please tell me I’m mistaken;-)
You are not mistaken; all of those examples grate on me, too. But then I tell myself that our English is very different from even one hundred years ago. But then I snap back at myself that it still annoys me, mostly because language is being reduced to such simple terms, which you described beautifully as "hackneyed phrases and impoverished vocabulary". Unfortunately, I think we have as much chance holding it back as we'd have holding back a landslide. This is one reason (of many) that I love to read. I can choose books that are well-written and not have to cringe reading them. There is one medium where I enjoy misspelling and weirdly shortened words, though - in memes. For me, those things add to the flavour. But, yes, newspapers and online news articles: please do more than run your stuff through spell checker!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that we can't hold it back, but it seems that in progressing we ignore or make redundant that which went before. However, i wouldn't wish to be speaking Chaucerian English!!
DeleteOh dear, my rant was almost as long as yours was!
ReplyDelete*snap!* 'of' instead of 'have', I HATE that, but I know how it has happened. People speak of should've and could've, which comes across as should of and could of so that's what people now say. But in writing, they should learn the correct grammar and write 'should have', 'could have'. I agree that 'gifted', 'podiumed' is wrong also, but I have bigger problems with 'like' sounding words being used instead of the correct spelling. Medal instead of meddle, pedal instead of peddle, or perhaps the other way around, then there is the "there, their, they're" mix ups. And more.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, of course, about how 'of' came to be used as a verb - or should I say, 'Your write'.
ReplyDeleteHi Janice - I'm just going along with you both ... so true - and the geography is often wrong too ... I just shrug my shoulders ... otherwise I'd be ranting all the time - too much time wasting for me. I do wonder how the rules and regulations will be written in the future ... but that's me - cheers - enjoy early December ... Hilary
ReplyDeleteI know it's a waste of time and energy because nothing will stop the march of progress. Sometimes it just becomes too much to ignore! You might enjoy the video I've just posted - very Christmassy!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYour rant does not lack of any justification.
ReplyDelete"Two months ago I didn't know how to write shornalist, and today I already am one."