But there are times when I am pushed to the limit and can take it no longer. My sunny outlook is transformed into teeth-grinding frustration.
At the moment, I hate it when those who set an example for the rest of us (journalists, teachers, writers, and just people who should know better) misuse the English language.
I am especially annoyed by use of the word, "Nother."
As in, "If you think I'm going to say that, you have a whole nother thing coming."
In fact, "nother" is not a word. What the speaker means to say is, "You have another whole thing coming."
I'm sure that if you listen to me speak in ordinary conversation, you'll hear a number of grammatical errors. I'm not perfect.
When someone asks me how I'm doing, for example, I usually reply, "Good!" I should say I'm doing "well." So I obviously don't practice what I preach. At least not always. But that doesn't excuse other people.
Another one that bugs me is when someone says, "... whether or not ..."
It is not necessary to say, "or not" after whether. "Or not" is implied.
Whether you agree with me, I think we can all get behind the idea that no one should ever say, "Irregardless," which, like nother, is not a real word. Usually, "Regardless" will suffice, as in, "I refuse to speak incorrectly, regardless of the ignorance of those around me. "
It drives me crazy when individuals take it upon themselves to be the language police, correcting everything that is said to the point where friends don't feel comfortable speaking at all. But it's just so hard to not be that person!
There's a reason why we speak with certain rules: so we can understand each other. If you use a lot of slang in your speech, for example, you may not be understood by someone from another country or region, or someone for whom English is a second language.
In class-conscious societies, and ours is, the level of adherence to standard language identifies an individual's socio-economic status. In other words, speaking well makes you look more sophisticated and less ignorant. As demonstrated in the play, Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, and in its later incarnation as the musical, My Fair Lady, one might overcome one's low class background by bumping their language usage up a notch.
In other words, you can probably get more opportunities in life if you "talk good."
Next time I feel like being the language police, I'll write about the proper way to use commas. That's not controversial at all ...
