'The word pedants' top 10 | It's specific, not Pacific...' blog discussion.

MrGumby

pollypenny wrote: »

We've had so many of these language threads on The Arms and on DT. Those of us who object to careless use of language are pilloried as pedants.

More people in the media need to speak up for correct language.

I couldn't agree more. I don't mind language evolving (would we want to be speaking Elizabethan or even Victorian English?) but, when English, arguably the richest language in the world, becomes impoverished or loses accuracy, that's a different matter.

And so to another pet hate (I speak as one who accepts the occasional use of 'And' to start a sentence). Awesome.

The 'awesome' phenomenon hit the States several years ago and I was dreading its arrival here. Awesome should mean 'hugely impressive, inspiring awe'. It's hard to imagine that anything could be more impressive than something described as awesome, and yet now it is applied to anything vaguely interesting. How sad.

libertino

LydiaJ wrote: »

I am frequently irritated by a confusion between 'rent' and 'let'. Landlords let properties when they charge people money to live in them. Tenants rent properties when they pay to have a home. We don't have this confusion between 'buy' and 'sell', so why do people find it so difficult?

I didn't know the difference before I read your post. It makes "To Let" boards nonsensensical, doesn't it? I read that as meaning "this property is available to let" when it is in fact "available to rent." I suppose it is true to say that "the landlord wishes to let out this property" but that isn't how it reads.

If I rent a car, what is the car dealer doing? Is the car dealer renting the car to me?

prudencekitten

One of my (many) pet hates is the use of "barter" instead of "haggle". To haggle is to negotiate a lower price, to barter is to offer something other than cash for goods. People claim to have bartered in foreign bazaars. What did they offer in lieu of cash?

In songs I hate "wich you" instead of "with you". And of course "ax" for "ask".

spowers

My pet hates - and they may be Gloucestershire sayings - are

get given (as in "We get given a car park permit")

off of (as in "The man got off of a bus")

Jublet

Anyone get annoyed by being asked to "fill out" a form? Try filling out a hole! You don't fill things out, you fill them in. And please don't mention "Haitch" to me.

Tarot

I agree with all these and also people say 'I've took' instead of 'I've taken' , 'I've broke' instead of 'I've broken' and 'you was' instead of 'you were'.

I'm beginning to sound like my mother!!

Patr100

"My Bad" - Another US import that I hate. - apparently it means "my mistake" or "my fault".

andelainedream

Another becoming more common and in the same category as shtreet/shtring for street/string etc is the replacement of d with j e.g. in jraw for draw etc.
Why?

abby1234519

As a student I will admit (and I am an English Literature student so even more shameful) I say "It was like amazing" or "Basically..." Or "I literally laughed myself to death"

I can't help it

abby1234519

But I say Aitch not Haitch!