Word abuses 9

[SantaMufasa]

(I have tried to find a previous thread that dealt with word abuses, but I cannot locate it. If you can locate it, please let me know, and I'll add to that one, then I'll delete this thread.)

[ul][li]The painful sentence I heard just now on the Noon News was, "Be sure to get the vaccinizations for your children."[/li]

[li]At McDonald's, I ordered two breakfasts. The cashier called back the order, "Two Big Breakfasses."[/li]

[li]I also dislike the misuse of the plurals for instance, incidence and incident:

The two arson incidences occurred within an hour of each other.

[/li][/ul]

Do you have other incidences of word abuse?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[flyboytim]

I was looking up the mispronunciation of "Nuclear" ("Nuc-u-lar" as per George W. Bush, Homer Simpson and Marcus du Sautoy (who also says "Nuculus", so I gather his name could be spelt "Marcleus", and it's possibly all just a protest about being given a latinized name, when "Mark" would have done just as well!)) and came across this:

All of the entries in our dictionary (including their pronunciations, meanings, etc.) are based on usage. We have an extensive collection of files which date back to the 19th century. Language is changing all of the time in all respects, and any dictionary which purports to be an accurate description of the language in question must be constantly updated to reflect these changes. All words were pronounced differently at some time in the past. There is simply no scholarly basis for preferring one pronunciation over another, and the term "correct" pronunciation doesn't mean anything objectively. To not list all pronunciation variants would be irresponsible and a failure of our mission to provide a serious, scholarly, record of the current American English language.

See the rest at:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq/pronounce.htm

So, if enough people say "Aks" for "Ask", "Loose" for "Lose", etc., and any combination of apostrophes in their writing - they will eventually win, and their products (however much some of us may hate them) will have entered the English language, because rules in English are just as artificial as some impossible notion of "correct" pronunciation or spelling - the very language depends upon usage.

On the other hand, it is merely a cunning ploy to keep the various dictionary publishers in continued employment.

 

[SantaMufasa]

...because rules in English are just as artificial as some impossible notion of "correct" pronunciation or spelling - the very language depends upon usage.

That's exactly why Brett Favre should change the spelling of his name to Brett Farve, and Notre Dame should change their name to Noter Dame. <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[ChrisHunt]

Pre once meant : earlier than : prior to : before such as pre sliced meant before slicing and pre-recorded meant before it was recorded

Do you have a citation for when this "once" was, when the pre- prefix had only the narrow meaning you apply to it?

For example, supposedly - in this mythic time of legend - "premeditated" didn't mean "planned in advance" but something akin to "done before thinking about it". But that time must presumably have been before the coining of the Latin word praemeditatus, which has very much the former meaning.

Just because pre- has a different implication in premeditated, prerecorded, presliced, etc. than it does in Pre-Cambrian, prehistory or preschool doesn't necessarily mean that the previously pure and simple English language has been debased by the actions of barbarians. It can just be that the English language is a more complicated beastie than you're giving it credit for.

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[mscallisto]

ChrisHunt

Well let me try to wiggle out of this.

I was leaning more to the hyphenated version of pre like pre-sliced even though I did miss one hyphen in my original post.

I believe the use of the hyphen can and does change the meaning of some words and maybe there is a difference between pre-meditated (before meditated) and premeditated (planned in advance) or any of the many other words beginning with pre.

Other examples include pro-verb where the hyphen separates it from proverb; see

http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/pro-verb

As for your question about when once was I can only refer to Merriam Webster where it’s defined as follows:
1: one time and no more <rode a horse only once>
2: at any one time : under any circumstances : ever <didn't once thank me>
3: at some indefinite time in the past : formerly <was once a booming mining town>
4: by one degree of relationship <first cousin once removed>

I take the third definition as my defense.

Still you may be right and I may be wrong (wont be the first time); that’s the joy of the English language!!

Sam

 

[IPGuru]

i think the tense of the root word is important here

Sliced is in the past tense so I would still understand pre-sliced to mean sliced in advance Pre-slicing or even pre-slice in the present tense would refer to the state of the item before it is sliced.



A Maintenance contract is essential, not a Luxury.
Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[snuv]

Just seen in a scrap merchant

Please check-in at the office before wondering around the yard

The spell-check didn't flag it so it must be correct...


"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Scrap merchant? Makes me wander. Are you sure this wasn't scotland yard?

Bye, Olaf.

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> Please check-in at the office before wondering around the yard
It's a virtual yard.

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[hjgoldstein]

35 inches?

Aspiring to mediocrity since 1957

 

[snuv]

Probably just wanted to metre customers

"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary