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English language - where is it going to? AIBU

(219 Posts)
TwinLolly Sat 21-Nov-20 10:33:46

Maybe I'm being unreasonable and very menopausal but there are words that are getting under my skin.

* "Co-worker" seems to be a new word for colleague.

* "Super" this and "super" that instead of "very" or "huge", etc.

* "Denied", e.g. as in "he/she was denied entry" - instead of "refused entry", or other cases where the world "refused" would make more sense than the word "denied".

* Where has the word "donated" gone to. It's now "gifted".

* I get confused when reading a newspaper or magazine article where people are now referred to by their surnames only without the Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms. I lose the plot as to who is who confused. I'd prefer to referred to as Mrs Surname or my first name.

There are other words too, but I can't think of them now.

Rant over. Sorry! blush

FannyCornforth Sun 22-Nov-20 11:53:57

Oh God!
Office speak!
I once worked with a School Business Manager (nee School Secretary) who would 'action' things as opposed to 'doing' them.

Eg :
'Please can you sign my overtime sheet?'
'I will action it this afternoon'
envy

railman Sun 22-Nov-20 11:48:56

Oh yes - and 'two-times' instead of 'twice'.

Mainly the fault of sports news readers and reporters - but why write two words when one will do.

railman Sun 22-Nov-20 11:47:36

Sorry - maybe not the same - but until the last few years I'd always written 'grandaughter' with a single 'd', but I've seen so many examples - mostly cards, and spellcheckers that insist on a double 'dd'.

It just feels wrong.

MargaretinNorthant Sun 22-Nov-20 11:46:18

I hate "reached out to" instead of contacted. Also why, when someone asks me to take a seat do I have this urge to say "where too?" "Bear with me", how interesting, what kind?

railman Sun 22-Nov-20 11:44:51

I think someone else on here has mentioned "gifted" and its corollary "gifting".

How the h* are those verbs, perfect, imperfect or any other description.

aaarrgh angry

Time for a brew cafe

railman Sun 22-Nov-20 11:41:30

How about:

"uptick" instead of increase

"snuck" instead of sneaked

I will not mention "train station" instead of "railway station" grin

Ilovedragonflies Sun 22-Nov-20 11:32:36

I cringe when people, particularly newsreaders, when explaining the time something occurred, say, '2 a.m in the morning'. Since when has a.m. indicated anything other than morning, albeit early morning in this example? Urgh!

winterwhite Sun 22-Nov-20 11:30:14

'Reset' is a new one that sets my teeth on edge. And 'baked in' meaning taken into account.

Some of these new words spread because they're seen to add extra validity to obvious statements by sounding modern. Uptick is an annoying example of that.

And what is the definition of 'gig'?

Startingover61 Sun 22-Nov-20 11:29:11

My pet hate is when people use ‘also’ and ‘as well’ in the same sentence; it drives me nuts!

JdotJ Sun 22-Nov-20 11:29:06

"Can I get"!!!!!!

inishowen Sun 22-Nov-20 11:26:32

Fur baby! An expression for a pet which has come from America. Its a ridiculous expression. Also from America "I have to go potty". What are they? Babies!

Nannyknee Sun 22-Nov-20 11:22:34

Yes why can’t he say Shout Out. Also why is the ‘F’ word used constantly in drams and films. Shows a lack of vocabulary.

Paperbackwriter Sun 22-Nov-20 11:12:28

I've always hated 'gifted' too but it turns out it's been in use as a verb for centuries.

My true hatred is reserved for adjectives used as nouns. "Find your happy" (Rightmove) is a particular object of loathing. I presume it means 'happiness' but it also reminds me that the nation seems to have far too many people who can't tell the difference between 'your' and 'you're'. A couple of Christmases ago, GAP had big signs up in their shops saying "Get the joyful". I wanted to scribble, "joyful WHAT?" on them all.

Gwenisgreat1 Sun 22-Nov-20 11:11:30

I hate the missing letter T. It's beau-i-ful, Daugh-er - can these people spell?
Also when people say 'at this moment in time'. what's wrong with 'now'
I'll step off my soapbox now.

4allweknow Sun 22-Nov-20 11:01:37

It's a "given" when meaning a certainty annoys me. Every second spoken word being followed with "like" or "you know" makes me switch off.

Grannie54 Sun 22-Nov-20 10:53:32

It annoys me when people begin a reply with the word “So”. For example, in the show “Pointless” when asked what the contestant does for a living they say “So, I’m a (insert occupation)”. I’m a terrible nit picker.

Coco51 Sun 22-Nov-20 10:50:27

The Americanised ‘inside OF me/the house/etc’. Why not just ‘inside’ ?
and apalling pronounciations.
‘Amount’ when it should be ‘number’
These are a few of my least favourite things...

Kim19 Sun 22-Nov-20 10:49:40

I find the change in word use interesting and entertaining. Trends come and go but I just let those sayings I don't understand go over my head. More important stuff to be going on with, I guess. I sometimes think the way grammar etc., was hammered into some of us at school has done us a disservice in that we become precious about it rather than grateful for the experience. Just listen to any pedant for a second and you may get my drift. Find word usage fascinating in general though and seriously grateful to be able to communicate at all. Mind you, a smile does a lot of talking. Unfortunately we're often having to mask these at the moment. Roll on better times!

kittypaws49 Sun 22-Nov-20 10:28:49

I don't like " bored of " instead of " bored with ". And "tearing up " instead of crying.

GreenGran78 Sun 22-Nov-20 10:26:17

My GD used to speak so quickly that her brain couldn’t keep up with her mouth. Every sentence was punctuated with ‘like’. I think that it was used as a thinking pause, instead of the usual ‘um’ or ‘er’. She is studying law at university (not uni!) One day I pointed out to her that she would not get very far as a solicitor or lawyer if she rattled away at her clients, or in court, in her usual manner. She has taken it on board, and now speaks much more slowly, and the ‘likes’ have vanished.

My pet hate is when people loose something, instead of losing it. It seems to be quite commonplace now, and I just don’t understand how the mistake has crept into common usage.

Stilton Sun 22-Nov-20 10:26:01

My pet hate is 'season'. There's a new series of Doctor Who/whatever, not a new season. The latter is Spring and Winter etc.
Plus lieutenant/lootenant. Pronunciation!

Grandma70s Sun 22-Nov-20 10:22:43

It’s perfectly acceptable to say ‘wrap up warm’. ‘Warm’ can be used as an adverb in this context. Compare ‘hold tight/sleep tight’, or ‘receiving you loud and clear’ (not ‘loudly and clearly’). English is a flexible language.

sandelf Sun 22-Nov-20 10:21:31

Generally I can just laugh and move on, knowing that I speak a variation no longer current. BUT 'Scarey' does annoy me.

Secondwind Sun 22-Nov-20 10:21:15

‘Should of’ or ‘could of’ seems to be sidling into everyday parlance. It makes me cringe!

Doodledog Sun 22-Nov-20 10:15:56

I don’t like ‘hysterical’ used to mean ‘hilarious’, but I wonder if it has evolved into correct usage now. ‘ John slipped on a banana skin, and it was hysterical’.

Some of the problem is getting old, of course grin. We were taught that ‘hopefully’ meant ‘with hope’, not ‘with any luck’, but the meaning has changed now. I also think that it is now acceptable to say ‘different to’ instead of ‘different from’, when it used to be considered American usage (and therefore the work of the Devil, according to my English teacher). Both sound wrong to me, but life moves on.