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| " 'Must of' will get you 200 lines!" |
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I've just been reading the comments sections of various other blogs, and it astounds and disappoints me in equal measure to see the way in which the English language is mangled by some commenters. It's sadly all too common to see sentences like "...it must of had an effect" thrown cavalierly around by those unaware or unashamed of their ignorance. "Must have" is the correct English, contracted as "must've". What is wrong with these people? Having asked the question, let me now answer it.
They've obviously misheard "must've" as "must of" and ignorantly perpetuate their aural error in everything they write or say. Say? Yeah, because I now actually hear people say "must of", both in real life and on television programmes. I'm not putting up with it anymore - it's "must've", not "must of", so stop writing it, stop saying it, stop spreading it. It's wrong, it's ignorant, and it's annoying - so take a telling or the Language Police will be around to your house to tell you personally. Comprende?
(And that goes for could've, should've and would've as well!)
Somebody turn off the light - I've got a headache.
If you go to the US, they actually say: 'Should of' because they have trouble articulating glottal plosives (rather unfortunate considering their propensity to ape French pronunciation), so I suppose it's a natural extension. The particular axe I grind regarding apostrophes, is the plural possessive style making an appearance where it shouldn't, although there are a few exceptions I do make myself. Grammer's not really my thing though, but, don't laugh, I have done a few stints as editor. Only under the most dire of circumstances though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, and they also pronounce 'aluminium' as 'aloominum'. Shows what they know, DSE. Regarding that apostrophe, it also used to denote contractions of words - like photographs to photo's, but now photos is accepted as being right. It's still used in words like don't 'though, so the guidelines aren't entirely consistent.
ReplyDeleteYeah, wait until they try and pronounce Worcestershire sauce and what about the weird way they spell lieutenant -- oh wait...
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeves include using "I" as an object (e.g., "Our friends gave an anniversary gift to my wife and I"), saying "nauseous" when one obviously means "nauseated," and saying "penultimate" when they mean "ultimate."
ReplyDeleteWe Americans dislike the French as much as everyone else does. We don't really imitate French pronunciation, we just don't bend over backwards to avoid it. The lowest commissioned officer rank in our military is "lieutenant," not "leftenant," and we park cars in a garage, which rhymes with "mirage," not with "carriage." :)
Why even bother with grammar at all,when apparently the new written language of the day are emoticons.
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Oh,and is that a recent photo of oneself..... Hmm!
To be fair I probably use the plural apostrophe incorrectly in a rush and rely in my auto correct far too much ( hard to believe I write press releases). The over use of text speak really annoys me, I have even heard that some people say "lol" instead of actually laughing , although that could be an urban myth.
ReplyDeleteMy pet hate is using a double negative such as "I didn't do nothing" and being called "Scotch" ( a drink) instead of Scots ( could be worse I suppose). Then again I like some quirks like the Glaswegian "come on get off" as in "come on, get off the bus" etc Oh "normalcy" instead of "normality" really irritates me as well (more an Americanism), but I bet I have made several errors myself here.
Or archaeology, DSE. Or colour - or dozens of other words. And let's not forget the way they think Audie Murphy won the 2nd World War single-handed. (Okay, with a little help from John Wayne.) Apart from that, they're all right, I suppose.
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Potato, Potato, tomato, tomato. Er, wait a mo - that doesn't work without sound. I'm not sure if the Queen would sound as posh if she said "My husband and me", but I know what you mean, TC.
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My Grammar's dead, Moony, so I don't bother with her at all anymore. (Boom boom.) Photo was only taken yesterday, by the way. (Well, yesterday a few years ago.) I couldn't think of what else to illustrate the post with.
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Gosh, McScotty - I'd never have believed you write press releases. Only 6 obvious errors at first glance, but who's counting? Don't get a complex now.
Il'l try me bestest not 2 mek any misteaks!
ReplyDeleteI thought Bizarro had made that comment for a second, JP. Incidentally, I'll have mine medium rare.
ReplyDeleteAudie Murphy, he was great in Beverly Hills Cop.
ReplyDeleteActually I prefer the American pronunciation of lieutenant - "lewtenant" makes a lot more sense that "Leftenant", where the hell is the "f" ?? And what about other daft pronunciation like Rafe for Ralph, Sinjun for St. John or Chumley for Cholmondeley ?? One thing that irritates me is nucular for nuclear which I even hear on Radio 4 !! My father always got irritated by people saying "store" instead of "shop" - isn't this how language changes over the centuries though ?
ReplyDeleteThat was his step-son, DSE.
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Funnily enough, CJ, the only time I've ever heard anyone say leftenant was in an American movie - it was essential to a plot-point. What I hate is hearing English people say "droring" for "drawing". Yes, language changes (if we let it), but not all changes are improvements.
Lol only 6 error that's not bad for me it's usually more than that - I don't worry about how I write in blogs (which I know annoys a lot of folk) but I treat blogs as if I was in a pub chatting to friends (having consumed 5 pints it would seem judging by my typing ) my main excuse is that I'm reduced to using my tablet now (my PC having given up the ghost last year) and I can barely see the screen to type. Don't worry I triple check my press stories before they get published :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, the lieutenant one is weird, as far as I recall it started out as a social affectation, exclusive to the army. Then it spread, although there was a lot of resistance in the navy, which was the cause of some consternation. I always say it the way it's spelt myself but army people do get a bit huffy about it, so I make an exception in that instance.
ReplyDeleteI find it strange that so many nationalities can't say "Loch" properly. The English tend to use an extra "r" when its not there in words like "drawing" and say "sor "when saying "saw" - very annoying as we Glaswegians / Scots are always spot on with our pronunciation and use of language :)
ReplyDeleteCJ is correct language changes all the time even listening to TV programs from the 50s - 80s you notice the difference.
Don't worry, McScotty, the entertaining content of your comments more than makes up for the odd typo or six. Yes, we Scots are perfect in every way, there's no dispute. It's a fact recognised the world over, he said, non-controversially. Yes, language (especially pronunciation) changes all the time, as I said, but sometimes mistakes become common usage - like 'droring' and 'sor' for example.
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Perverse individual that I am, DSE, I'd have to say it in the way that would annoy them. I'm a bad boy.
Interestingly, I've used -saw- as a homophone for sore, I thought: '...saw sight' was cool.
ReplyDeleteDuh? I don't 'get' it, DSE. What's 'sore sight'? I've seen Stingray items for sale, listed as 'Atlanta Shaw', 'Commander Shaw', etc., so obviously the owner misheard the name 'Shore' as 'Shaw'.
ReplyDeleteYes McScotty, Kid, you Glaswegians certainly know how to pronounce "murrudurr" correctly.
ReplyDeleteWhen every Scouser KNOWS it's "mehhder"!
:-D
Sore sight would be the sense through -sore eyes-, it's a turn of phrase. For a second I was confused there myself, I thought you were doing a lisp: Shandie Shaw's a shight for shaw eyesh
ReplyDeleteThe law of conservation of R's demands that if you pahk your motahcah in the garage (rhymes with marriage), then you say "sor" and "droring." I guess the Cockney accent has a similar rule for H.
ReplyDeleteI first heard "leftenant" in a Sherlock Holmes movie with Basil Rathbone. I've since heard it a couple of times in TV episodes (Joan Collins on Dynasty, June Chadwick on V). It was a running gag on the 1980's series Dempsey and Makepeace. I have read that the RN still pronounces it "lootenant."
I've never heard anyone of any nationality say "potahto" IRL, but that song needed something to rhyme with "tomahto."
I can tolerate an apostrophe with the possessive "its," since the guidelines are, as you said, not always consistent.
Nah, we don't say 'murruderr', JP - it's 'murrrdurrr'.
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DSE, that'sh the worst Shean Connery impresshion I've ever heard.
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Posh people pronounce it garage, TC - as rhymed with Farage (as in Nigel, a British politician). (GahrAAAge.)
I'm always doing the possessive: its as it's thing, if you see it, it's a bona fide error. BTW, there is talk that Nigel has affected the pronunciation of his surname, it being pronounced as you would, marriage before he wanted to sound posh.
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't surprise me at all, DSE. You know what politicians are like.
ReplyDeleteMy father would get annoyed at incorrect pronunciation of Scottish words like saying the L in Kirkcaldy or Lock Ness. Another one that bugged him was the surname of the actress Deborah Kerr which everyone pronounced as Karr - it also annoyed him that she was called an "English rose" when she was actually born in Scotland (but calling her a Scottish thistle doesn't sound so complimentary). And I've heard Americans say Edinburgh as "Edinburrow".
ReplyDeleteAnd what about Glasgow, CJ, with the 'gow' part pronounced as 'how'? Aaaargh! As for Deborah Kerr, remember that most Americans seem to regard Britain and England as the same thing. I bet we mispronounce loads of American place names the wrong way 'though.
ReplyDeleteSixth pronounced as sikth.
ReplyDeleteAh, that's Violet Elizabeth Bott who's always doing that.
ReplyDeleteI think Deborah Kerr was called an English rose in the Radio Times or somewhere like that and that's where he read it - wasn't David Niven also Scottish yet called the perfect English gentleman. Bonnie Langford was great as Violet Elizabeth - "I'll thcweam and thcweam and thcweam until I'm thick".
ReplyDeleteDavid Niven not English? Oh good grief the fabric of my reality has just collapsed.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that Just William TV series, CJ. Hard to believe it was way back in the '70s - gulp!
ReplyDeleteDavid Niven not English? Next you'll be telling me that he wore a wig and played James Bond.
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That's the trouble with reality's fabric, DSE - too fragile.
I cannot cure "could of" no matter how hard I try. Up here, kids ( and some adults) swear blind they are taught to write "alot" and "aswell" in primary school. Some have even told me they are discouraged from writing "know" too and to render it as "no". Words fail me...
ReplyDeleteMore a case of words failing them, I think, Dougie, if they're using the wrong ones. I once even saw an otherwise intelligent editor use 'sort-after' instead of 'sought-after' in a comic! And text-speak is only going to make things worse in the long run.
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