Changing language - does it annoy you.
Discussion
I guess if a language doesn't develop it dies - so I am being a bit of a hypocrite here.
I have noticed a couple of words and phrases creeping into English that for some reason really piss me off.....
Railway stations have become Train stations. I heard the Beeb this morning referring to train tracks - not railway lines.
I know it's not wrong English but to me it grates. Sort of dumbing down. You'd expect a child to say train station because railway is probably too hard to say. At what point do we do away with train and call them Choo Choos?
The other one that gets my goat - I heard Prince William use it so it's got to all levels - is Huge.
Everything is bloody huge. I am supposed to be hugely proud of my team, who made a huge effort and overcame huge obstacles to make a huge achievement.
I'd be hugely interested to see what terms words or phrases piss you off.
Dan
I have noticed a couple of words and phrases creeping into English that for some reason really piss me off.....
Railway stations have become Train stations. I heard the Beeb this morning referring to train tracks - not railway lines.
I know it's not wrong English but to me it grates. Sort of dumbing down. You'd expect a child to say train station because railway is probably too hard to say. At what point do we do away with train and call them Choo Choos?
The other one that gets my goat - I heard Prince William use it so it's got to all levels - is Huge.
Everything is bloody huge. I am supposed to be hugely proud of my team, who made a huge effort and overcame huge obstacles to make a huge achievement.
I'd be hugely interested to see what terms words or phrases piss you off.
Dan
king swearing!parakitaMol. said:
wildcat45 said:
Everything is bloody huge.
Oh really.
Changing language is one of the things that makes my job interesting. Would you say "internet" or "Internet", for example? "Email" or "e-mail"? "Which" or "that"?
Changing language only annoys me when it's a form of dumbing down or lazy use of Americanisms ("driver's license", anyone?), but otherwise it's a sign of a healthy language in everyday use. It can be quite interesting.
Don't get me wrong: I find language interesting. We NEED new words to describe new things that we invent or discover: no problem there. It's also interesting when we adopt words from other languages because they describe something better e.g. deja vu.
The various Patois of Britain's youth cultures, on the other hand, is something that doesn't need preserving.
The various Patois of Britain's youth cultures, on the other hand, is something that doesn't need preserving.
SGirl said:
parakitaMol. said:
wildcat45 said:
Everything is bloody huge.
Oh really.Anyway, yes, you're probably right. Now I think about it, most of my things are huge, my ego, my house, my car, except for my tiny things that aren't. Little tiny shiny things mostly.
But - I don't have a Hugh Jorgan - he does look nice though, kind of quiet. I like that. What do you think?
Well the one millionth word was announced yesterday see here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howabou... so yes language is changing every day with new words being recognised. Didn;t realise Sexting was an actual word though.
I don't mind changing language or incorrect grammer and I'm quite relaxed about things like that, provided I can understand what people mean. I hate pedants! What really winds me up though is the use of verbs as nouns such as:
invite instead of invitation
meet instead of meeting
install instead of installation
etc
Believe me, when you work in IT and you're constantly receiving invitations to meetings about installations things can get very confusing very quickly!
I believe this oddity has come over from America, and they differentiate between the noun and verb by pronunciation. That may work in spoken English, but it doesn't work in written English!
invite instead of invitation
meet instead of meeting
install instead of installation
etc
Believe me, when you work in IT and you're constantly receiving invitations to meetings about installations things can get very confusing very quickly!
I believe this oddity has come over from America, and they differentiate between the noun and verb by pronunciation. That may work in spoken English, but it doesn't work in written English!
wildcat45 said:
I'd be hugely interested to see what terms words or phrases piss you off.
We do seem to be running out of superlatives.'Awesome' - like, because everything so is. It's used to mean 'quite good'.
'Gutted' - which simply radiates illiteracy and has nothing to do with fish. It's used to mean 'disappointed'.
And the new buzzword for 2009: 'Iconic'. Everything over one year old or remotely famous is now 'iconic'...
Oh, and 'celebrity' - for being able to warble through a song on a reality TV show.
This exaggeration from extreme high to extreme low may be connected to the fact we live in a marketing-based culture where washing powder has to be exciting as a Formula 1 race.
Simpo Two said:
wildcat45 said:
I'd be hugely interested to see what terms words or phrases piss you off.
We do seem to be running out of superlatives.'Awesome' - like, because everything so is. It's used to mean 'quite good'.
'Gutted' - which simply radiates illiteracy and has nothing to do with fish. It's used to mean 'disappointed'.
And the new buzzword for 2009: 'Iconic'. Everything over one year old or remotely famous is now 'iconic'...
Oh, and 'celebrity' - for being able to warble through a song on a reality TV show.
This exaggeration from extreme high to extreme low may be connected to the fact we live in a marketing-based culture where washing powder has to be exciting as a Formula 1 race.
parakitaMol. said:
SGirl said:
Basically, yes.
Ha!! You said 'basically'.
Just thought of another one! "Respect". Everything's "respect" these days - not in a "respect your elders" kind of way, but as a way of expressing anything from admiration to just plain tolerance of a person. Always strange to hear lazy chavs going on about people "respecting" them, because they just don't understand the purport of what they're on about.
Oh, and while I'm at it - what about this shortening of names? I blame JLo for starting it! I can see why she did it - branding and all that. But FFS - BoJo? SuBo???
And when I'm supreme dictator, anyone in public found using the F word for every second word as they speak to their friends will be lined up against the wall and shot. There's simply no need for it, especially at the kind of volumes these people "speak" at.
And when I'm supreme dictator, anyone in public found using the F word for every second word as they speak to their friends will be lined up against the wall and shot. There's simply no need for it, especially at the kind of volumes these people "speak" at.
JJCW said:
So not at all exciting then?
I see your point but I mean from the driver's POV (sorry, perspective!)SGirl said:
Everything's "respect" these days - not in a "respect your elders" kind of way, but as a way of expressing anything from admiration to just plain tolerance of a person. Always strange to hear lazy chavs going on about people "respecting" them, because they just don't understand the purport of what they're on about.
That's easy - respect in the true sense has to be earned. You don't get it just by existing or painting your face white. I think it's come from US black culture where respect - I'm sorry, 'rispek' means 'do what I say or I'll shoot you'.Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff