English language - where is it going to? AIBU

Starting every sentence with "So......"
Maddening.

Less instead of fewer; Americanisms like rookie; secetary instead of secretary. I could go on and on and on!

A very simple one I find mildly interesting - park up. It used to be " I parked in the car park" but now one "parks up"...when did that start? I've seen it a lot in books I've read recently too

Kinda, sorta, actually, obviously all annoy me.
Kinda like, you know equally do my head in!
Um was always a good one to use in front of my English teacher?
And do we really have a problem with the eff word coming out of a 4 year olds mouth?
Think not!

...and people who say "Febuary" instead of "FebRuary"!

I abhor the proliferation of signs headed "POLITE NOTICE". Maybe, some 20 years ago when they started appearing on parking spaces, some people mis-read (as intended) the first word as "POLICE" - but surely no-one is taken in by this any more. So why do they keep appearing in every possible location and context? Where are all the "NEUTRAL", the "IMPOLITE" - even the "BLOODY RUDE" notices? What's wrong with the plain and simple "NOTICE"?
And don't get me going on "summiting" and "medalling"...

Sickth instead of sixth. It’s more difficult to say and nobody says sick when they mean six.
I too hate the ‘so’ and ‘can I get’ along with ‘for free’, ‘amount of people’ and many others. I am aware that these are more grammar than the actual words but still make me mad.
Many years ago my friend asked my son if he could lend his pen, quick as a flash my son, then aged about eight, replied “to whom do you wish to lend it”. The room went quiet wondering what he would say (he has an MA in English), he gaffawed loudly and said “quite right, may I borrow your pen”.

If the F word is OK, why is it used as a verb, noun, adjective, adverb, when there are so many other words in the dictionary? I have stopped watching Gogglebox as it irritates me so much. "Different from" is more logical than "different to" as it indicates moving away. I'm still a pedant!

Ixion - yes, I agree re “My bad”
If you really want to annoy somebody, I recommend Mea Culpa!
And then wait for the “Wot?”

Hog...

“Global pandemic “. When will people understand that “pandemic” means worldwide? Why not got the whole ho* and say “world global pandemic”?

Where has the word hope disappeared to. I keep hearing, I'm looking to buying, afternoon looking to going too. Drives me mad!

TWINLOLLY
I love your post & couldn't agree more ??

I suppose AIBU is a new use for our language.

Few years ago nobody will have known what it meant

As for profanity, I rather like a well placed one

I know a great many folk with far greater intellect than I ,who aren't immune from using a good old-fashioned swear word

I hate the way they use the word "like" all the time. "You know like, he said to me like, did I want to go for a drink like". Really annoys me!

The Irish often put ‘so’ at the end of a sentence, for no apparent reason. I rather like it.

Some words/expressions irritate me but they`re not really incorrect (e.g. "going forward" instead of "in future", which I`ve always said. Another is "step foot", a modern version of "set foot".) Language either evolves or dies, and I just have to accept certain things.
However some modern usages are incorrect and I hate them. Starting a sentence with "so..." is irritating and unnecessary. Why say "so my name is Jane" instead of "my name is Jane"? Also why must people say "myself" when they mean "me"?
And don`t get me started on the substitution of "gender" for "sex". They are definitely not interchangeable!

Charleygirl5

I hate to hear every third word in a sentence being "like" and I have noticed some young children are picking this up- possibly from their parents.

So do I. This particular example of the language ‘evolving’ does nothing to help clarity. In my view many of the examples of so-called progress are simply ignorance masquerading as progress.

A agree with all the ones mentioned above particularly the use of Super, and "train station" instead of "railway station".
One of mine that no one else has mentioned is , second of all instead of secondly.

I agree with Chewbaca. It took me a while, but I've come to accept that language is constantly evolving and I have to try and keep up, especially as I love words.
However, I do find 'gifted' instead of gave/given really irritating, and find it difficult to get my head round all the language of youth ( e.g.sick meaning good!).
And it's not a new word, but its usage these days makes me CROSS! Every other person seems to describe any experience, from receiving an award, to helping someone else as "*humbling*"! IT'S NOT.

mistymitts

Polnan, I was always taught that it is not correct to say, 'John and me' but that it should be ' John and I'.
Does any one know please?

The best example I can give you mistymitts, is the plea regularly made by Gregg Wallace on Masterchef for the contestants "to show John and I". You would not ask people to show "I"; you would ask the to show "me": hence Gregg should be asking the contestants "to show John and me". Having said that however, the majority of the English speaking population seem to have been so confused by their teachers so that they all seem to follow Gregg's practice...

Great minds Purpledaffodil

We must have had the same grammar lesson Alegrias ?

mistymitts it depends on the use. Whether they are subject or object of the sentence. So “Give the gifts to John and me” they are the object of the sentence but “John and I went for a walk” they are the subjects. Easier to see if you get rid of John altogether. You would not say “Me went for a walk “ or “Give the gifts to I”?

mistymitts

Polnan, I was always taught that it is not correct to say, 'John and me' but that it should be ' John and I'.
Does any one know please?

It depends on the context of the sentence, and whether John and You are the subject or the object of the sentence. I find the best way to decide is to imagine if John wasn't there, and it was only you.

Would I say "Me is going shopping"? No, I'd say "I am going shopping". So the correct form there is "John and I".

Would I say "She spoke to I"? No, I'd say "She spoke to me." So the right form is "John and me".

Happy to be corrected if someone else knows better And John, or Johanna, always comes before me in the sentence!