Grumpy old men

That will stop us complaining about spelling mistakes then

Brian G

People might be relieved to know that the consensus among today's academic linguists is that the whole idea of there being such a thing as corruption or decay* in language is untenable, and referring to individual instances of usage being correct or incorrect is much less defensible than referring to them as standard or non-standard.

The only trouble of course is that determining what is standard isn't itself always straightforward.

An example that springs to mind is the shift that has taken place from "I'm well" to "I'm good" when people are asked "How are you?". I suspect that a large number [possibly a majority] of under-thirties would prefer "I'm good" whereas most of us on this forum would probably feel uncomfortable saying it in that context.

There's nothing wrong with preferring an older way of saying things, especially if usage supports it. I think we should try to remember, though, that usage is a very fluid thing and standards change, sometimes at a speed and to a degree that can feel disorientating.

*[except when the decay means a language's decline or extinction due to the loss of its native speakers.]

My daughter has an assortment of English degrees and insists that language is 'organic'. In contemporary fashion she also buys 'organic' foodstuffs. Despite her education i cannot persuade her to acknowledge that language is non-corporeal or that barring a few stray minerals there are no inorganic foods.

The insinuation of emoji into modern communication is a conspiracy to convert the western world to ideography.

pgk

Mike,

I agree that a submarine is a boat. However, the nearest my wife gets to a submarine is when she plays 'Silent Hunter'. So a real submarine is sufficiently remote from her everyday experience for her to disregard submarines when formulating her definitions of boats vs ships.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

As we are banging on about the way things were being the 'correct way' In the Navy of Nelson a SHIP actually referred to a vessel having 3 masts each of which were comprised of 3 parts, if they were single spars it was a polacre. To be a ship, said masts had also to carry square sails. I suppose by that definition virtually all maritime vessels are now boats.

regards Martin

I was always told that a boat was the thing you got in to when the ship started sinking.

I get worked up about people saying something is "for free". It's either "free" or it's "for nothing" but not both.

Peter

You can use a boat to keep gravy in, and don't forget the tea boat 😁

Mick 🇫🇴

I thought a ship could carry boats aboard, but not t'other way about.

But even a battleship could be a good or bad 'sea-boat'.

In all the years I was at sea - 15 - we always called the ship we were on, or in if you were poncy - a boat. Just saying.

An hotel instead of a hotel, after you only use 'an' if the object it refers to starts with a vowel. And so on.....

PC - I don't do PC, for goodness sake, say it as it is. If you are short you are short, not vertically challenged.

Being told I must say "having an ageist moment" instead of "having a Senior Moment". The former is an insult, the latter - I am taking the piss out of myself, and I'm happy to do that. If I don't then someone else will!!

As well as disliking "like" every other word the inability for the young young to describe anything without saying "you know" every other word. If I knew I wouldn't be asking, you know?!

++ for most of the other grumps on here.

All lives matter, not only ones of a certain colour.

People who insist on talking through and commenting on a programme when I am trying to watch and listen to it, and then asking what happened/what did he say........  If you had shut up, watched and listened, you wouldn't need to ask.

Snowflakes complaining about everything instead of just getting on with life, accepting what will be will be, and what was still is what was and always will be as you can't change history, life is how you find it and cope with it and doing what has to be done; how would they have coped when times really were tough and hard, like living through WW2 (not that I did, but then, I don't complain but just "keep buggaring on" as Winston used to say.).

I could go on and on but you get the drift. I have the tee shirt "Founding Member of The Grumpy Old Mans Club" and proud to wear it.

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 11/10/2020 22:16:00

Edited By ChrisH on 11/10/2020 22:16:47

TV adverts with flicky fast changing images to zap your brain

I always mute the adverts but now they've found another system to really annoy me

Two things.....

Being told by the news on Christmas Eve what is contained in Her Majesty's Christmas Day message.

....and the one that really gets my goat....

People in shops and bars who say "Can I get...." rather than "Please may I have....." As a barman I would step aside and let them get it!

The language is evolving. To stop it evolving would require some sort of committee to keep things on the straight and narrow. I believe France has something which is supposed to stop that language changing. Of course there are some things that are just beyond the pale, for instance, every other word being "like", this is truly appalling in'it.

cheers

Bill

ps Everyone found guilty of the heinous act of language abuse should be subjected to a round of the fish slapping dance.

pps I always thought that ships have boats, but boats don't.

So the bloke in the crow's nest (yes Titanic had one, not that it did them much good) is in a boat until he comes down the ladder?

I'll get my coat

I'm with Neil, as long as it's clear and unambiguous it is correct. Mark Twain said Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination. Not sure I'd go that far

Edited By duncan webster on 12/10/2020 03:09:15

The one that annoys me by far is...

Christmas stuff/tat appearing in shops in August

I also have the Grumpy T shirt

Regards to all

Derek

PS Every year when anyone in my family asks me what I would like for Christmas I always reply "metal - here is the list", the looks and comments that I get !

Chris,

Believe it or not, the rule is 'a vowel or aitch'!

My wife has amended her criterion from 'see' to 'put your hands in the water'.

Best regards,

Swarf, Mostly!

Airplane instead of aeroplane and Bill Gates correcting my spelling to Merican

language is defined by common usage so will inevitably become corrupted as a lot of common words of today are, simples init like.

I like Frances IoM's "come over", reminds me of the Orcadian "ferry leaper" meaning not an islander, whilst describing the island as Mainland Orkney.