When the deplorable practices become so widespread that they become the norm (amongst the majority) then the language has been proven to have evolved. Before that it is evolving - the example given becoming more widespread.
Hi Ruby, that's the one thing I hold against gays, they've pinched a perfectly good adjective and made it an exclusive-usage noun.
On another subject, the evolution of compound words has been interesting. Printout, logoff, kickoff, flowchart, backup, website, roadmap, pricetag, healthcare, cellphone.
Winston Churchill was once asked about his position on whisky.
Here's how he answered:
"If you mean whisky, the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody
monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home,
creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the
mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples
men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into
the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and
hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of
my being."
"However, if by whisky you mean the oil of conversation, the
philosophic wine, the elixir of life, the ale that is consumed when
good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the
warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean good cheer, the
stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly
gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man
to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great tragedies and
heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours
into our treasuries untold millions of pounds each year, that provides
tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our
dumb , our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways,
hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then
my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.
Acceptable to whom? Obviously not you. Please don't hinge our discussion on this specific example. It was raised as an annoying trait which is spreading. I would hazard a guess this particular example is partly spreading because people move. And being ignorant of a currently accepted pronunciation does not prevent an incorrect pronunciation becoming a norm - which is what has happened for lots of words.... have not "evolved" to be any more acceptable ...
You keep saying this. It's absolutely not something I've experienced and obviously neither has Ruby.Acceptable to whom? Obviously not you. Please don't hinge our discussion on this specific example. It was raised as an annoying trait which is spreading.
NINE years after her three children were murdered and their bodies dumped in a hot spa, Shirley Singh had "horrible visions" as a Queensland jury delivered guilty verdicts against Massimo "Max" Sica.
Defiant to the end of Queensland's longest criminal trial, Sica, the former boyfriend of Mrs Singh's daughter Neelma, said from the dock: "I didn't kill no one."
"Estuary English" may now be taking over this function. For large and influential sections of the young, the new model for general imitation may already be "Estuary English", which may become the RP of the future."
I cannot remember the last time I heard anyone at all pronounce the ending "ing" as "ink".
It would be at least two decades ago.
Undoubtedly true, thank goodness. The day I start hanging around with people who attach "ink" to the "ing" endings of words will be the day I've lost my marbles.The last time i heard that was having a few beers with my mate in Australia...he doesn't actually say 'nothing'...he says noth-ink.
Perhaps its the crowd you hang around with Juila...
CanOz
How is it lazy or a typo to insert a redundant and inappropriate apostrophe?
(I knew I'd regret making that post.)
........egregious.......
How is it lazy or a typo to insert a redundant and inappropriate apostrophe?
(I knew I'd regret making that post.)
I think we have a moral obligation to attempt to uphold standards in spelling and grammar.
Ah, bless you, Ruby, for the encouragement. The woeful standards are so widespread that I feel almost guilty on the rare occasions I take issue with grammar or punctuation. The accusation of 'grammar/spelling nazi' is not uncommon. It would be easy to point out at least twenty grammatical or punctuation errors every day on this forum, even by quite eloquent posters, but better to bite the tongue for the sake of peace.I'm with you Julia, so don't have any regrets about your post! What is even more amazing (and irritating) is seeing a sentence like this: "I sent the photo's to my friends." If one plural requires the apostrophe, why not the other? It is not even logical. And yet if I point it out I am met with blank stares. I think we have a moral obligation to attempt to uphold standards in spelling and grammar.
No, Calliope. Please let's not give up.It's a lost cause Ruby. English grammar is not taught in schools any more and it's not likely to be. The present generation of teachers is woefully ignorant in English grammar, and couldn't teach it even if it was in the syllabus.
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