Musings on Current Trends in English Usage

[Nanohedron]

Saw this ad at the top of my Index Page:



"The Power of Ignite". It would seem that Lolcatspeak has become mainstream.

[Coffee]

I'm not a language purist by any definition, but... this disturbs my calm a little.

[s1m0n]

The eye-catching capacity of non-standard grammar & usage is well known to sloganeers and wannabe catch-phrase writers alike. They're doing it deliberately, precisely because it irritates your sense of propriety and makes you look twice.

[Nanohedron]

Although it did make me look twice, my sense of propriety, such as it is, wasn't irritated. You know me: I'm mindful of how I use language, but neither am I a bluenosed purist. However, I propose this dialect of English be called something like Dimwittian or Boobish.

[Coffee]

I reckon "Stupidian" would also work.

[Nanohedron]

Maybe Unglish.

[ytliek]

I know there is an Ad at the top of the page and rarely, very rarely even notice it. The Ad even with colors and movement doesn't catch my attention. Sound in the Ad would bother me, or a banner, pop-ups, etc., anywhere else on the screen would offend. I filter that stuff (Ads) mindlessly while on the computer because I'm a terrible shopper and don't need anything that will appear in the Ads.

[Nanohedron]

Sometimes I notice, sometimes I don't. My favorite - which I haven't seen in a while - had the legend, "Punch Bieber? Vote now!"

What's not to love about that?

[ytliek]

I'm sorry I missed that. I'll have to pay better attention.

[Nanohedron]

Sometimes there is a gem among the turds.

[walrii]

Methinks "boobish" and "stupidian" fall in the same category as "power of ignite." Better to label it "poor grammar."

Further, calling a "punch Bieber" banner a "jem among turds" strikes me as the pot questioning the kettle's ancestry.

The hour, however, is late and most likely I am becoming boorish myself. Sleep well.

[Coffee]

It is, in fact, poor grammar.
What use is poor grammar? It's rather enjoyable to poke fun of it.

(And by the by, if I end a sentence with a preposition at some point, then do bear in mind that English is not a Romance language, but a Germanic one; the rules governing French grammar and sentence structure do not apply here.)

[Brus]

It is, in fact, poor grammar.
What use is poor grammar? It's rather enjoyable to poke fun of it.

(And by the by, if I end a sentence with a preposition at some point, then do bear in mind that English is not a Romance language, but a Germanic one; the rules governing French grammar and sentence structure do not apply here.)

So a preposition is OK to end a sentence with?

[Nanohedron]

Shakespeare did it, so if it's good enough for him...

Methinks "boobish" and "stupidian" fall in the same category as "power of ignite." Better to label it "poor grammar."

Further, calling a "punch Bieber" banner a "jem among turds" strikes me as the pot questioning the kettle's ancestry.

I do lead with my chin from time to time, it would seem. But in the spirit of exchanging volleys, I would never have quoted you with a spelling error you didn't commit.

I haz a Ignite, let me sho u it.

[s1m0n]

(And by the by, if I end a sentence with a preposition at some point, then do bear in mind that English is not a Romance language, but a Germanic one; the rules governing French grammar and sentence structure do not apply here.)

As I've said before, the 'rules' of grammar are observed, not ordained, and are, hence, a moving target. No matter what you were taught, if the bulk of the population has moved on, 'correct' grammar is what they're now doing, not what your grade three teacher told you was right.*

The primary characteristic of a living language is that it is in a constant state of change, and English, being the global language, changes fastest of all. Embrace it. It's why we're winning the language wars.

*As I enter my sixth decade, this gets harder, but in this I differ in no regard from every generation before me. What hurts most is that I still identify with the young, but they sure donèt with me.