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Grammar Nazi Thread: Smooshing Words Together

lvsxy808 said:
It's like when people say "more unique." Impossible! "Unique" is an absolute state, it is not subject to gradation.
Click to expand...

That's one of my pet peeves. If we water down the word "unique", there is no other single word to replace it, just the phrase "one of a kind".

My other current pet peeve is using "literally" to mean, well, not literally. That one gives me a (figurative) headache!
 
"If everything is awesome and nothing is not awesome, then by definition everything is just mediocre!" -Ellie Bartowsky, Chuck

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn what words you use as long as you spell them right. And use punctuation. Yeah.
 
Tora Ziyal said:
lvsxy808 said:
It's like when people say "more unique." Impossible! "Unique" is an absolute state, it is not subject to gradation.
Click to expand...

That's one of my pet peeves. If we water down the word "unique", there is no other single word to replace it, just the phrase "one of a kind".

My other current pet peeve is using "literally" to mean, well, not literally. That one gives me a (figurative) headache!
Click to expand...

[yt]http://youtu.be/Uh4DGUNWmiU?t=2m34s[/yt]
 
lvsxy808 said:
thestrangequark said:
I mean, seriously, of course there is such a word as 'deplane' -- just because one dislikes it doesn't mean it is not a valid word. I know what it means to deplane, and most English-speakers will also know it's meaning; it certainly seems to fit the criterion for being a word. Whether or not a word is a word is not limited to it's appearance in a certain edition of a specific dictionary! What a dull world it would be if language was static.
Click to expand...

My point is that it's an unnecessary word. A word already exists to describe that concept - "disembark," as Macleod says. I'm all for new words to describe new concepts. Of course Chaucer didn't have a word for "internet," because he didn't need one. Likewise there's no need to create a new word to describe "disembark" when there's already a perfectly good word that serves the purpose. After seven years of living in the States, I have to say my impression wasn't that it was a dialectal difference, but rather ignorance of the fact that the word "disembark" exists at all.

Likewise, usage of such non-words as "winningest" on Nascar commentary makes me want to stab a bitch.
Click to expand...
THis makes me think you've missed my point, though. Language doesn't evolve based just on necessity. Do you take such umbrage at every word that is redundant? Because if you do, I don't know how you can even stand to speak English -- with its dual Latin and Germanic roots, we have redundant words for nearly everything! And I don't think the specific example of 'deplane' is the result of ignorance of the word 'disembark,' it is more specified -- you can't deplane a boat. Adding to our language makes it richer, not poorer.

Winningest is also a word. It's even in the dictionary. It makes for a great adjetive: "Just flash them your winningest smile and be honest!" Why not just enjoy the evolution of language, and the inventiveness and playfulness it so often illustrates rather than getting annoyed by it?

Oh, I also love it when people use 'literally' incorrectly, because the imagery is fucking hilarious.
 
I'm not sure which of my smiles is winningest. One has to be winninger than the others though.
 
I once saw an ad for an "exclusive all-inclusive" resort, where each suite was "truly unique."

What I can't stand is business-speak. Synergize, incentivize, value-add, actionable, coopetition. ICK.
 
The Mirrorball Man said:
Tora Ziyal said:
lvsxy808 said:
It's like when people say "more unique." Impossible! "Unique" is an absolute state, it is not subject to gradation.
Click to expand...

That's one of my pet peeves. If we water down the word "unique", there is no other single word to replace it, just the phrase "one of a kind".

My other current pet peeve is using "literally" to mean, well, not literally. That one gives me a (figurative) headache!
Click to expand...

[yt]http://youtu.be/Uh4DGUNWmiU?t=2m34s[/yt]
Click to expand...

Hmm. I'm getting a nice white rectangle. Something tells me that's not what you intended to post.
 
I can't stand the use of the word "drop" in regards to a release date. It seems like it almost fills a need, but not quite... I mean I don't think saying "release" or "come out" is all that cumbersome. And if it's going to have to be a thing, at least only use it for albums. For the love of god, don't tell me that the new firmware for my phone is going to "drop" soon.
 
Tora Ziyal said:
Hmm. I'm getting a nice white rectangle. Something tells me that's not what you intended to post.
Click to expand...
You know what? I tried it twice and when it didn't work the second time, I just went along with it and thought: "alright, this is my statement, this is what I want to say to the world! Language is the White Rectangle!"
 
Spoiler: he's trying to link a vid with President Bartlett laying the grammatical smackdown on some bush-league speechwriter.

Ooh, "smackdown". There's a good smooshed word.
 
thestrangequark said:
Language evolves and changes; 'tis the nature of the thing, and there's a sort of tiresome "Get off my lawn!" attitude that comes with people who get hugely upset by that change. Chaucer's English is barely recognizable as the same language as modern English -- words change meaning, are removed, added, morphed, mushed together, and torn apart all the time.
Click to expand...
Definitely true, language is a living thing that shifts and evolves over time. However, it's one thing when a sensible change is introduced (e.g. new technology or social construct) that inspires a new word, but another when people are coming up with something just for the sake of sounding cool or being lazy. The latter is what gets me. While "chillax" is entertaining in a comedic venue, using it in real life just telegraphs "poser"...
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz4CIqRtgY4[/yt]
 
Yoda said:
I can't stand the use of the word "drop" in regards to a release date. It seems like it almost fills a need, but not quite... I mean I don't think saying "release" or "come out" is all that cumbersome. And if it's going to have to be a thing, at least only use it for albums. For the love of god, don't tell me that the new firmware for my phone is going to "drop" soon.
Click to expand...

urlz.gif
 
thestrangequark said:
lvsxy808 said:
thestrangequark said:
I mean, seriously, of course there is such a word as 'deplane' -- just because one dislikes it doesn't mean it is not a valid word. I know what it means to deplane, and most English-speakers will also know it's meaning; it certainly seems to fit the criterion for being a word. Whether or not a word is a word is not limited to it's appearance in a certain edition of a specific dictionary! What a dull world it would be if language was static.
Click to expand...

My point is that it's an unnecessary word. A word already exists to describe that concept - "disembark," as Macleod says. I'm all for new words to describe new concepts. Of course Chaucer didn't have a word for "internet," because he didn't need one. Likewise there's no need to create a new word to describe "disembark" when there's already a perfectly good word that serves the purpose. After seven years of living in the States, I have to say my impression wasn't that it was a dialectal difference, but rather ignorance of the fact that the word "disembark" exists at all.

Likewise, usage of such non-words as "winningest" on Nascar commentary makes me want to stab a bitch.
Click to expand...
THis makes me think you've missed my point, though. Language doesn't evolve based just on necessity. Do you take such umbrage at every word that is redundant? Because if you do, I don't know how you can even stand to speak English -- with its dual Latin and Germanic roots, we have redundant words for nearly everything! And I don't think the specific example of 'deplane' is the result of ignorance of the word 'disembark,' it is more specified -- you can't deplane a boat. Adding to our language makes it richer, not poorer.

Winningest is also a word. It's even in the dictionary. It makes for a great adjetive: "Just flash them your winningest smile and be honest!" Why not just enjoy the evolution of language, and the inventiveness and playfulness it so often illustrates rather than getting annoyed by it?

Oh, I also love it when people use 'literally' incorrectly, because the imagery is fucking hilarious.
Click to expand...

If having more words makes a language richer, then words pronunced the same but spelt differently should apply as well. After all in English the words metre and meter mean two different things as do the words tyre and tire. So if adding to the language makes it richer then doesn't the opposite apply?

In regards to English, remember the saying that "Britain and America are two countries divided by a common language". As for English itslef it does love to borrow words from other languages.
 
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