Lanugage

10/13/2017

Since it's Friday the 13th, I could concentrate on all the evils that might (but don't) occur today.  Stay away from black cats, for instance is one of the things you're supposed to stay away from.  Of course, if you own a black cat, it's not like you can put him in the yard until tomorrow, when it will be safe to bring him inside!

Instead of worries about this "special" day, I want to write about language and the subsequent mangling of words, sentences, etc.  I will go crazy if one more person on television says, "where is it at?".  How about saying instead "where is it?".  I also don't like when people refer to their children as a kid.  Seriously?  I have children, not kids.  I have boys, not kids.  I just find the word kid to be disparaging somehow.  You may feel differently, and that's okay, I'm just putting in my two cents.

Some people when talking about Illinois (with a silent)s, which is the correct pronunciation by the way, pronounce it Illinois (where the s isn't silent).  While I can say the incorrect word, I don't know how to type that word that sounds to me like Illinoise (which I know is not a word).

I hear or read any number of incorrect or marginally correct words every day.  When I was a teenager and we had to go around the room and say a word.  The word that tripped me up time after time was aluminum.  For the life of me I couldn't say it.  The class, of course, found this to be quite funny - I did not.

Some, but not all, younger generations don't seem to know what "RSVP" stands for.  If I invite you to my house, and you don't respond, trust me I'm not going to hunt you down like a dog.  When said event comes around, I don't know if I'm cooking for "x" or "y" number of people.  With the "invention" of the personal computer, as well as the different programs, and "Word" being one of them, how hard is it really to send a quick email?  I'm thinking not that hard.  When Jeff and I are invited somewhere, I respond lightening quick.  I know that some people will rationalize this as easy to do, since I'm retired.  But, my mother instilled in me certain manners, and I haven't forgotten them.
I don't want anybody to be waiting for my response.  

I don't like to refer to Bella and Daisy as merely pets, when asked if I have pets.  The short answer is, yes I do.  But, I'd rather say I have two dogs, named Bella and Daisy.  That may be more information than they wanted, but it's just simply something that I do.

And then there are the emojis and abbreviations like "lol".  Okay, I get that "lol" could mean lots of love or laughing out load.  And, sometimes I'm confused.  Disclaimer: I'm confused most of the time, so my emoji would be "cmott"?  Pretty sure nobody would know what I'm talking about!

Jeff's mother was an English teacher, so I never knew which word to use if I was going to my room to rest, for instance.   Am I lying down or laying down?  The correct answer is lying down for a nap and laying down a book.  Whee.  And then there is - their, there and they're.  Some people use the wrong word, but we as readers or listeners understand what is being said or read.

I've also wondered, probably because I have so much time in my day, why the Grand Prix is pronounced "Pree".  When I saw the word "prix" I initially didn't understand that the word "Prix" had a silent "x".  

Okay, I'm done.  Climbing off my soap box now.

P