An interesting phenomenon of the incorporation of new words into the (english) language is called backformation. Backformation is a process whereby a word exists and coincidentally ends in a sequence which falsely indicates to the reader that the word is a base word with a suffix added. Thus, the reader can subtract the 'suffix' from the word and arrive at the 'original' word. Soime examples of this are: Pedlar, beggar, hawker, stoker, scavenger, swindler, editor, burglar, sculptor, laser. Ressurection, preemption, vivisection, electrocution, television, emotion, donation. All these words are words in and of themselves, not built up from grammatical rules from a base word. However, due to their similarity to words that are built from grammatical rules, the reader (listener) can then use those words to deconstruct them and are left with a brand new word. (Laser is an especially interesting example as it is a relatively new word and is well known to be an acronym and yet, even amongst scientists who are fully aware of the origins and meaning of the word, has been 'deconstructed' to the verb to lase.) There is an important lesson in this. Language is not a controlled process. Dictionaries and grammar books can be studied day in and day out. But, the final arbiter of what is and what isn't 'proper' language is use. Eat shit, grammar patrol.
ja, bend over, culture vultures *Discard surplus letrs in English spelling. These ar a major sorce of dificulty for lernrs and writers.' *English students of German can spel six times betr in German than they can in English' *Th mor complex spellings gradualy die out-eg develope to develop, and lacquey to lackey (v yule)
A one-night stand originally referred to entertainers. It was a lot of trouble to set up and take down the stage and all the equipment and travel to the next city, just to play one night there and do it all over again. "I could care less" was originally a sarcastic way of saying "I could not care less." The tone of voice was everything. It doesn't work at all in writing or the flat way people say it now.
As a Texan, the mistake I hear most often in English usage is ya'll (incorrect) used instead of y'all (correct). It's not a difficult error to make, so I don't understand why so many people get it wrong. Think about the basic function of an apostrophe, then examine the letters it replaces in this particular instance: you all. It's not difficult, y'all.
Especially online! I agree it works in person with the correct tone of voice, but it's an odd phrasing that is easily misinterpreted on the Internets.
How do you hear an apostrophe? This does remind me of my favorite Texas phrase: "Har all y'alls doin tanite." Never before had I heard something pluralized four times. And I was the only one being addressed! ~Raithere
Well... Considering that absolutely NOBODY ever says "I could care less" and actually means it literally, it's pretty easy to interpret. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I've always wondered why they say that. And some people say "well anyways" when it's supposed to be "well anyway". It's not a big deal, but sometimes I just want to....I dunno...correct them. ha ha, I have no room to talk. My grammer isn't the best either.
How about, "We still have a ways to go"? One of my favorite peeves is the pseudo-educated people who pronounce words the way they're spelled when in many cases that's actually incorrect. E.g., the T is supposed to be silent in "often" and the first C is supposed to be silent in "arctic."
Often, when you are in the Arctic, you could really do with a warm tea, steaming quitely, but not silently, away.
I can't find the etymology of "often" online but wsu.edu is a very reliable scholarly site and they agree with me on its pronunciation. I do know about "arctic." The word is of Latin origin but it came into English through Norman French in the early centuries of the last millennium. At that time the French had already simplified Latin "arcticus" into "ar-TEEK." We shifted the accent from the French standard on the last syllable to the Anglo-Saxon standard on the first syllable, and we softened the resulting unaccented I, but other than that we have always pronounced it the French way without the C. Or the -US, for that matter. Lexicographers, however, regarded themselves as historical preservationists and often searched for the most ancient, obsolete spellings they could find. That's not difficult when the source language is French, because French is worse than English for hanging onto silent letters. ("Aiment" is pronounced "em.") Today they still spell the word "arctique," with three of its eight letters silent. That said... English is a language without an Academy, so popular practice trumps academe. Merriam-Webster.com includes of-ten as a variant pronunciation, and they've knuckled under completetly on arc-tic, presenting it as the preferred pronunciation. Anybody got an OED?
Regardless, I will continue to pronounce every letter in 'Arctic' and 'often'. So call me a hypocrite.
Weird, i always pronounce the C, same as antarctic, most people i've met do, otherwise sounds like we're talking about a large truck. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Never the T in often though.
I have the full version in my office, but I'm working from home today. I'll check it out tomorrow. Quiet so. The author wishes to apologise for the fact that, because of the very short nature of the above responseto tablariddim, it has not been passable to include a deliberate error. Normal disservice will resumed as soon as possible.
I don't know where you received your education, but in my part of the world the T and C are most definitely pronounced Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
