My favorite anal retents here in the States are English majors who constantly correct we uncooth boors. Or is it "us" uncooth boors? I'm too uncooth to know.
My wife's step father is a health nut, yoga, diet, red wine, had a mild stroke. I surmised it was due to his Yorkie opines with which few seemed to be in agreement.
You can always tell a Yorkshireman, you just can't tell him much! BTW: my dad's a Geordie & they are nearly as opinionated but in a dialect that no one can comprehend.
Got this from my unemployed English major friend out west, his collection of our poor use of the tongue:
Barking Mad 1 Feb MMXI
Start with a story about “Yawl’s the Crew” on a business trip in Georgia.
* Are and Our. It’s not “Are new car”. It’s “Our new car”.
* Pair and Pairs…pears? Plural is 3 PAIR… NOT 3 PAIRS…because “pair” is already plural.
* Further and Farther
* People that? No, it’s People WHO! People are not objects.
* There, they’re, and their.
* Through, Threw, Thru, and Thorough
* “These ones.” It’s “these” or “The ones”. It’s NOT “these ones”!!!!
* You’re, your, and yore. It’s NOT “your funny”.
* Past and passed
* To, too, and two
* It’s and Its
* Feeling badly. I feel bad about your loss. Not “I feel badly”.
* Looser and loser
* Then and than
* Ensure and insure
* Pronouncing insurance correctly. The accent is on the second syllable.
* Continue on. It’s “continue”. “On” is implied.
* Partnering together and huddling together. “Together” is implied.
* Cook-up, Fix-up, Call her up, etc.
* Etcetera…it’s NOT ekcetera
* Speak and talk.
* Can I? and May I?
* How are you? I’m well…not good.
* Steaks are “done”. People are “finished”. “Are you finished?”
* You’re welcome. NOT “No problem”.
* To be truthfully honest and the honest truth. Huh? Saying “to be honest” in the first place….
* “America” is North America and South America. The United States of America is one country in America…or, “The Americas”. DUHHH!
* “Would like to”…IT’S THE CONDITIONAL!!! “Would like to…if WHAT?
* “Where is it at?” It’s before the “at”!
* Photographic images are called photographs or photos. NOT “pictures”.
* “Bimbo” is masculine. Referring to women as “Bimbos” is wrong on so many levels. Bimbo is what Italians call a baby.
* Usage of “a” and “an”. It’s not “a idiot”…you imbecile!
* “What’s going to happen going forward?” I dunno, I’m wondering what’s going to happen “going backward”?
* “I’ll give you a little nougat.” (From a candy bar?) He meant “nugget”…but he’s an ignorant Sportscaster announcing the U. of W. vs. Georgia Basketball game.
* The new Ford Focus can virtually park itself.” Virtually? Can it “actually” park itself?
* It’s not a nine point oh earthquake. It’s a nine point zero! That goes for you as well, “TOSH POINT ZERO” !!! (Check out the difference between zero and “O” on any telephone.)
* Miles an hour? It’s “M.P.H.” which stands for “Miles PER Hour”.
* Most likely, you did not get the car’s License Plate! You may have the car’s License Plate Number!
* This just in…Communications Majors on TV saying… “Rekindle again.” Again? “Rebounding back” What is next? Rebounding forward?
* Finally, use a comma for separating an Introductory Phrase from the remainder of the sentence.
Perhaps if he stopped correcting people, especially co-workers and bosses, he'd be happily employed.
Even in England there's whole heaps of different terms for the same things.
Around where I grew up, somebody who'd be described as "barking" would be called "light" or in serious cases "light as a crow"
No I don't know why, but there's so much dialect in English that when I start trappin' with a mate from home even people who speak fluent English as a second second language got nay oideer what yer on about buh.
I love language, it's such fun manipulating it for ones own ends, & seeing how others use or misuse it.
I'm from South Oxfordshire. Everyone in the rest of the country thinks I am a Londoner & everyone in London thinks I am from the "sticks" (Countryside) just because of my accent. Try understanding a Birmingham/Midlands accent: Several million people talking through their noses! Chris C
My grandparents were Irish...Pop had a rather normal sounding southern american accent, but was especially fond of calling the boys "boyo"....Grams was really short tempered, and when she got mad....nobody but pops could understand her beyond knowing to get well away lest she get her hands on you .
As I said in an earlier post: My Dad's a Geordie. I was born and Bred in the South. I could barely understand a word he said when I was growing up. I learned later that, "whyeye" sort of means "yes"! My Grandfather was Irish. Unfortunately, I never met him as he was killed at Cassino in 1943. Us Oxfordshire people would consider Mr. Grumpy to be a bit of a "carrot packer" & we would say, "mad as a Hen" as opposed to "light as a crow". (Grumps area & mine are less than 100 miles apart!) Chris C {Edited 'cause I can't spell too well}
I disagree. I've never heard anyone ever refer to both continents as "America." I have heard them referred to as "the Americas."
"America" is short for the country. That does seem to really offend some folks. They are probably also offended by the shortened "Britain" in place of "Great Britain."
"Irregardless" should be stricken from the dictionary.
"The Americas" was how I learned to describe the combined continents of North & South America. This also included Central America. To me, a foreigner, "America" identifies the USA. Anyone offended by the term "Britain" instead of "Great Britain" needs to lighten up. (Don't tell anyone but it's not that great anymore & hasn't been for a while now!) Chris C
Mox- I'm a bartender/waiter. I noticed over 20 years ago that if I spoke in a more pronounced "Southern' drawl, to the folks I was "waiting' on, I'd do better.
My sis was an English major at Belmont, when it was still just a college. I learnt a little from her. She's now doing what Jesus would do, as a chaplain, advancing in her career.
She once worked to teach ESL to foreign folks, and taught English at Szechaun University over a summer.