OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

First off, let me make clear that I are one. :) So I'm not even close to
potshotting anybody; I understand the obsessions involved intimately.

(My last email rant to a newspaper writer was over the statement "They may
not understand that they're implying X." Um, no; if you're implying it, you
understand that you are doing so. Now what you choose to *infer* from my
statement I may not understand; I won't contest that, as inferring doesn't
necessarily have any connection with what the original speaker actually
meant. g)

So wandering off into a thread that's really geared for us obsessives to
mutter together (a recuperation diversiong), which do you find more
irksome:

Incorrect usage of terminology:
examples: misuse of "speaker implies/hearer infers", "very unique" (unique =
"one of a kind"---how can something be "very one of a kind"?), "begging the
question" being used to mean "leads us to ask" rather than "trying to use
what you're trying to prove as proof of itself", etc.

Incorrect usage of homonynms:
examples: "he poured over the papers" (what did he pour? WHY would he do
such a thing? Didn't it make a mess?) "she peddled her bicycle" (OK, I
guess you can, but it seems a bit distracted to me to postpone a trip to
grandma's house to sell one's bicycle, and wouldn't that slow you down,
especially since you now have to walk there?) and so forth. Am I the only
one that notices that even highly reputable publishers and newspapers seem
to be mistaking spellchecking for proofreading these days?

Gross mispronunciation:
examples: my current raw nerve, the Texas Instruments DLP commercial series
with the little girl: "It's the mirs!" I really want them to either teach
her that mirror has two syllables or change their website to itsthemirs.com.
If it's acceptable to mangle pronunciation in even the most formal, planned,
and high-priced corporate contexts (and surely an advertising campaign is
just that), then can we at least shoot for consistency and change the
spelling? Let's all spend Febby-airy going to the liberry to look up
nukular mirs. :)

Let the rant begin, and with examples! ;-)

--pig, noting she didn't notice any knee pain while contemplating/typing
this

The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

pig, I sympathize with the obsession over language and usage. My current pet
peeve (and I've sent multiple emails to the about it) is the inability of
any reporter on NPR to pronounce the word 'veterinary' or 'veterinarian'
correctly. The'er' is dropped from the word entirely. While I may be willing
to overlook the pronunciation as a regional dialect in some cases, not so
from the mouths of press professionals!
--
Debi (and can someone please teach GW how to pronounce 'nuclear'?)

Chaos, panic and disorder ... my work here is done.

"Megan Zurawicz" wrote in message
...
First off, let me make clear that I are one. :) So I'm not even close to
potshotting anybody; I understand the obsessions involved intimately.

(My last email rant to a newspaper writer was over the statement "They may
not understand that they're implying X." Um, no; if you're implying it,
you
understand that you are doing so. Now what you choose to *infer* from my
statement I may not understand; I won't contest that, as inferring doesn't
necessarily have any connection with what the original speaker actually
meant. g)

So wandering off into a thread that's really geared for us obsessives to
mutter together (a recuperation diversiong), which do you find more
irksome:

Incorrect usage of terminology:
examples: misuse of "speaker implies/hearer infers", "very unique" (unique
=
"one of a kind"---how can something be "very one of a kind"?), "begging
the
question" being used to mean "leads us to ask" rather than "trying to use
what you're trying to prove as proof of itself", etc.

Incorrect usage of homonynms:
examples: "he poured over the papers" (what did he pour? WHY would he do
such a thing? Didn't it make a mess?) "she peddled her bicycle" (OK, I
guess you can, but it seems a bit distracted to me to postpone a trip to
grandma's house to sell one's bicycle, and wouldn't that slow you down,
especially since you now have to walk there?) and so forth. Am I the only
one that notices that even highly reputable publishers and newspapers seem
to be mistaking spellchecking for proofreading these days?

Gross mispronunciation:
examples: my current raw nerve, the Texas Instruments DLP commercial
series
with the little girl: "It's the mirs!" I really want them to either teach
her that mirror has two syllables or change their website to
itsthemirs.com.
If it's acceptable to mangle pronunciation in even the most formal,
planned,
and high-priced corporate contexts (and surely an advertising campaign is
just that), then can we at least shoot for consistency and change the
spelling? Let's all spend Febby-airy going to the liberry to look up
nukular mirs. :)

Let the rant begin, and with examples! ;-)

--pig, noting she didn't notice any knee pain while contemplating/typing
this

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

It's the pronunciations that get to me. I have been stressing to my
students that if they pronounce words correctly, they will be more
likely to spell them correctly.

Then I walked into a 5th grade classroom where the teacher had written
the date as Valentines Day, Febuary 14, 2007.



On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:27:05 -0600, Megan Zurawicz
wrote:

First off, let me make clear that I are one. :) So I'm not even close to
potshotting anybody; I understand the obsessions involved intimately.

(My last email rant to a newspaper writer was over the statement "They may
not understand that they're implying X." Um, no; if you're implying it, you
understand that you are doing so. Now what you choose to *infer* from my
statement I may not understand; I won't contest that, as inferring doesn't
necessarily have any connection with what the original speaker actually
meant. g)

So wandering off into a thread that's really geared for us obsessives to
mutter together (a recuperation diversiong), which do you find more
irksome:

Incorrect usage of terminology:
examples: misuse of "speaker implies/hearer infers", "very unique" (unique =
"one of a kind"---how can something be "very one of a kind"?), "begging the
question" being used to mean "leads us to ask" rather than "trying to use
what you're trying to prove as proof of itself", etc.

Incorrect usage of homonynms:
examples: "he poured over the papers" (what did he pour? WHY would he do
such a thing? Didn't it make a mess?) "she peddled her bicycle" (OK, I
guess you can, but it seems a bit distracted to me to postpone a trip to
grandma's house to sell one's bicycle, and wouldn't that slow you down,
especially since you now have to walk there?) and so forth. Am I the only
one that notices that even highly reputable publishers and newspapers seem
to be mistaking spellchecking for proofreading these days?

Gross mispronunciation:
examples: my current raw nerve, the Texas Instruments DLP commercial series
with the little girl: "It's the mirs!" I really want them to either teach
her that mirror has two syllables or change their website to itsthemirs.com.
If it's acceptable to mangle pronunciation in even the most formal, planned,
and high-priced corporate contexts (and surely an advertising campaign is
just that), then can we at least shoot for consistency and change the
spelling? Let's all spend Febby-airy going to the liberry to look up
nukular mirs. :)

Let the rant begin, and with examples! ;-)

--pig, noting she didn't notice any knee pain while contemplating/typing
this
Linda
PATCHogue, NY

The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book NewLog Cabin Quilt)
 

warsh (as in wash)
are when it should be our
masonry said as masonary.

Just a few off the top of my head.
Is this good for your recovery pig?
Taria

Debi Matlack wrote:
pig, I sympathize with the obsession over language and usage. My current pet
peeve (and I've sent multiple emails to the about it) is the inability of
any reporter on NPR to pronounce the word 'veterinary' or 'veterinarian'
correctly. The'er' is dropped from the word entirely. While I may be willing
to overlook the pronunciation as a regional dialect in some cases, not so
from the mouths of press professionals!

The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

Distraction from contemplation of pain is always a good thing. :)

--pig


On 2/21/07 20:36, in article 0l7Dh.1270$5F5.203@trnddc02, "Taria"
wrote:

Is this good for your recovery pig?

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

Oh, good grief!! As the daughter of an English major, all the things
mentioned annoy me. My mom use to tell me the very same thing; pronounce it
correctly, and spelling becomes much easier. Her other favorite remark was
"Words have meanings!" She said this when people used a word in the wrong
context, or used it to mean something it was never intended to mean.
--
TerriLee in WA (state)
remove the cats to reply
http://community.webshots.com/user/tlbishop

"WitchyStitcher" wrote in message
...
It's the pronunciations that get to me. I have been stressing to my
students that if they pronounce words correctly, they will be more
likely to spell them correctly.

Then I walked into a 5th grade classroom where the teacher had written
the date as Valentines Day, Febuary 14, 2007.



On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:27:05 -0600, Megan Zurawicz
wrote:

First off, let me make clear that I are one. :) So I'm not even close to
potshotting anybody; I understand the obsessions involved intimately.

(My last email rant to a newspaper writer was over the statement "They may
not understand that they're implying X." Um, no; if you're implying it,
you
understand that you are doing so. Now what you choose to *infer* from my
statement I may not understand; I won't contest that, as inferring doesn't
necessarily have any connection with what the original speaker actually
meant. g)

So wandering off into a thread that's really geared for us obsessives to
mutter together (a recuperation diversiong), which do you find more
irksome:

Incorrect usage of terminology:
examples: misuse of "speaker implies/hearer infers", "very unique" (unique
=
"one of a kind"---how can something be "very one of a kind"?), "begging
the
question" being used to mean "leads us to ask" rather than "trying to use
what you're trying to prove as proof of itself", etc.

Incorrect usage of homonynms:
examples: "he poured over the papers" (what did he pour? WHY would he do
such a thing? Didn't it make a mess?) "she peddled her bicycle" (OK, I
guess you can, but it seems a bit distracted to me to postpone a trip to
grandma's house to sell one's bicycle, and wouldn't that slow you down,
especially since you now have to walk there?) and so forth. Am I the only
one that notices that even highly reputable publishers and newspapers seem
to be mistaking spellchecking for proofreading these days?

Gross mispronunciation:
examples: my current raw nerve, the Texas Instruments DLP commercial
series
with the little girl: "It's the mirs!" I really want them to either teach
her that mirror has two syllables or change their website to
itsthemirs.com.
If it's acceptable to mangle pronunciation in even the most formal,
planned,
and high-priced corporate contexts (and surely an advertising campaign is
just that), then can we at least shoot for consistency and change the
spelling? Let's all spend Febby-airy going to the liberry to look up
nukular mirs. :)

Let the rant begin, and with examples! ;-)

--pig, noting she didn't notice any knee pain while contemplating/typing
this
Linda
PATCHogue, NY

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

;)) I am known for my red pen - honestly!
I am currently going through training on our upcoming new software
change, and promptly took my red pen to the instruction manual to
point out misspellings and grammar issues. I then handed it back to
the instructor. Oh, we are paying $1 million dollars for this change,
so it seems the least they could do is spell correctly!

Our CEO and Deputy Executive Officer routinely send out system-wide
emails with misspellings and bad grammar. Sheesh!

Ginger in CA
spelling has just always been "one of my things"
On Feb 21, 7:19 pm, "TerriLee in WA \(state\)"
wrote:

Oh, good grief!! As the daughter of an English major, all the things
mentioned annoy me. My mom use to tell me the very same thing; pronounce it
correctly, and spelling becomes much easier. Her other favorite remark was
"Words have meanings!" She said this when people used a word in the wrong
context, or used it to mean something it was never intended to mean.
--
TerriLee in WA (state)
remove the cats to replyhttp://community.webshots.com/user/tlbishop
-

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

Such errors in a training manual are inexcusable!

I am slipping into the habit of using internet
abbreviations/grammar/punctuation in emails and posts, but I
would never mail a letter that was not thoroughly checked.
The same applies to the notes I print out for my classes. I
will not pass out notes that have spelling/grammar errors.
And it annoys me that my failing eyesight means that I might
miss spelling errors more often now. (Don't anyone mention
spellcheck - we use English spelling here, remember
lol)

But what excuse do Govt Departments have to allow such poor
standards of correspondence on their letterheads?

The attitude now is "if it gets the message across, what
difference does it make?", but I recently wrote a tender for
a friend who is definitely challenged in the writing skills
area. When he was advised that he had won the tender he was
told that his was not the best bid, but that he had
submitted the most professional paperwork and was therefore
seen as the best tenderer. So at least some out there still
look for standards in writing and communication.

--

Cheryl & the Cats in OZ
o o o o
( Y ) ( Y )
Boofhead Donut
http://community.webshots.com/user/witchofthewest
catsatararatATyahooDOTcomDOTau


"Ginger in CA" wrote in message
oups.com...
: ;)) I am known for my red pen - honestly!
: I am currently going through training on our upcoming new
software
: change, and promptly took my red pen to the instruction
manual to
: point out misspellings and grammar issues. I then handed
it back to
: the instructor. Oh, we are paying $1 million dollars for
this change,
: so it seems the least they could do is spell correctly!
:
: Our CEO and Deputy Executive Officer routinely send out
system-wide
: emails with misspellings and bad grammar. Sheesh!
:
: Ginger in CA
: spelling has just always been "one of my things"
: On Feb 21, 7:19 pm, "TerriLee in WA \(state\)"
: wrote:
:
: Oh, good grief!! As the daughter of an English major,
all the things
: mentioned annoy me. My mom use to tell me the very same
thing; pronounce it
: correctly, and spelling becomes much easier. Her other
favorite remark was
: "Words have meanings!" She said this when people used a
word in the wrong
: context, or used it to mean something it was never
intended to mean.
: --
: TerriLee in WA (state)
: remove the cats to
replyhttp://community.webshots.com/user/tlbishop
: -
:
:

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

On Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:43:18 -0500, WitchyStitcher
wrote:

It's the pronunciations that get to me. I have been stressing to my
students that if they pronounce words correctly, they will be more
likely to spell them correctly.

Then I walked into a 5th grade classroom where the teacher had written
the date as Valentines Day, Febuary 14, 2007.



snip

This is an interesting subject albeit OT. However, how do you address
the differences with pronunciation between regions? Who determines
what is correct and incorrect? How do you account for the very
significant differences or, more correctly, changes in the meaning of
words, take 'gay' for example or 'cool'.

The big strength of the English language and no doubt other languages
is they change through common usage to reflect the needs of the users
and pressures of the time. While I agree with everyone on the
irritation of mispronunciation, bad grammar, mangled use of words, I'm
afraid this is the result of working in a 'living' and 'dynamic'
language.

OT: The Congenitally Grammar-Picky (was OT Grammar Book New Log Cabin Quilt)
 

I do so agree ...
but, if I started, there would be a book-length message g
I will pick just one, of the moment:
'You really can't underestimate how important that is".

(I did know about the book title, but it didn't seem vital, in context,
to mention it g)
..
In message , Megan Zurawicz
writes
First off, let me make clear that I are one. :) So I'm not even close to
potshotting anybody; I understand the obsessions involved intimately.

(My last email rant to a newspaper writer was over the statement "They may
not understand that they're implying X." Um, no; if you're implying it, you
understand that you are doing so. Now what you choose to *infer* from my
statement I may not understand; I won't contest that, as inferring doesn't
necessarily have any connection with what the original speaker actually
meant. g)

So wandering off into a thread that's really geared for us obsessives to
mutter together (a recuperation diversiong), which do you find more
irksome:

Incorrect usage of terminology:
examples: misuse of "speaker implies/hearer infers", "very unique" (unique =
"one of a kind"---how can something be "very one of a kind"?), "begging the
question" being used to mean "leads us to ask" rather than "trying to use
what you're trying to prove as proof of itself", etc.

Incorrect usage of homonynms:
examples: "he poured over the papers" (what did he pour? WHY would he do
such a thing? Didn't it make a mess?) "she peddled her bicycle" (OK, I
guess you can, but it seems a bit distracted to me to postpone a trip to
grandma's house to sell one's bicycle, and wouldn't that slow you down,
especially since you now have to walk there?) and so forth. Am I the only
one that notices that even highly reputable publishers and newspapers seem
to be mistaking spellchecking for proofreading these days?

Gross mispronunciation:
examples: my current raw nerve, the Texas Instruments DLP commercial series
with the little girl: "It's the mirs!" I really want them to either teach
her that mirror has two syllables or change their website to itsthemirs.com.
If it's acceptable to mangle pronunciation in even the most formal, planned,
and high-priced corporate contexts (and surely an advertising campaign is
just that), then can we at least shoot for consistency and change the
spelling? Let's all spend Febby-airy going to the liberry to look up
nukular mirs. :)

Let the rant begin, and with examples! ;-)

--pig, noting she didn't notice any knee pain while contemplating/typing
this


--
Best Regards
pat on the hill