"Whenever" and "Seen"

[Randi]

I'm not completely sure, but the pronounciation of "heigth" as "hieght", sounds like it could be a person from South Africa, perhaps?

[orangemm]

I've seen a lot of people write "could of" instead of "could have". WHY???

Or if someone says "She gave the gift to Bill and I"..........ARGH!

Also, the improper use of to and too.

Also, "loosing weight", HUH?

People, please, go back to school and learn proper English!

Am I too picky?

[AdoreMyDogs]

Another "Southern" word that I just can't stand is "tumped". It's a combination of tipped and dumped, and it makes me crazy. It either tipped over, or it dumped, it did NOT tump! I had never heard that word before I came to TX and now I hear it all the time. I don't want my children saying that blasted word. Also, here in TX I hear the word "pinch" mispronounced. I hear folks call it "peenched" with the e sounding like E (not sure how else to explain it). I always say it correctly to my daughter when she hears it pronounced incorrectly by someone.

[pomtzu]

My big pet peeve is the improper use of: "waiting on" vs "waiting for" - but it seems that more and more people all the time, use it the wrong way.

Waiting for - anticipation of a coming event or action.
i.e. - I'm waiting for a UPS delivery. I'm waiting for Billy to get home from school. And so on... I'm not waiting on these events.

Waiting on - a service given to one person by another.
i.e - The waitress is waiting on tables. The sales clerk is waiting on a customer. And so on... They are not waiting for these people. Of course in this neck of the woods, a lot of people seem to think it's one word too: waitin'on.

I was raised in New England, and never heard anyone use "waiting on" in the wrong way - until I met my ex - who was raised in Pa and Md. I'm assuming it's a geographical thing, but I do hear it more and more all the time. I was able to break him of it , and my kids and grandkids have always used it the correct way.

Another one that gripes me is "seen" when it should be "saw".

A very educated friend of mine cannot be convinced that she is saying something wrong. She's meaning to say "It's a dog eat dog world", but instead insists on saying "It's a doggy-dog world". For the longest time I couldn't figure out what the heck she was talking about, and then the light went on. I politely told her in a joking manner what it should be, but to no avail...

[mrspunkysmom]

A very educated friend of mine cannot be convinced that she is saying something wrong. She's meaning to say "It's a dog eat dog world", but instead insists on saying "It's a doggy-dog world". For the longest time I couldn't figure out what the heck she was talking about, and then the light went on. I politely told her in a joking manner what it should be, but to no avail...

She may not be aware that the phrase has an origin with a different meaning. She may have also learned it that way and doesn't see the need to change. Some of us "highly educated" people can be arrogant.

My mom's mom had several sayings that were the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding. She referred to people that bed-ridden as "inblids". My mother told me it was years before she understood what her mother was saying.

[Catherinedana]

I'm not completely sure, but the pronounciation of "heigth" as "hieght", sounds like it could be a person from South Africa, perhaps?

It IS pronounced height with the "T" sound on the end of the word, since it is actually spelled that way and if you check the dictionary (go online and they even pronounce it for you) that is the correct way. "Heigth" with the "th" sound at the end of the word, is spelled and pronouned incorrectly. . .

[moosmom]

Irregardless IS in the dictionary??? Wow! Live and learn I suppose.

[Randi]

Catherinedana, I made a typo, I actually meant "height" and "hieght". South Africans seem to pronounce evrything with more emphasis on the i's, don't they.

Phesina, thank you for kind words. I'm trying my best. Of course, it helps to keep in touch with certain PTalkers.

[mruffruff]

I will never get used to the improper use of "waiting on". Newscasters, teachers, politicians, EVERYONE seems to use it wrong.

If you are waiting on someone, they must be very uncomfortable under you. And I wait IN line.

Run-on sentences drive me nuts! Commas and periods are like yeild and stop signs. They can make a totally illegible paragraph make sense.

[kokopup]

Being a card carrying southerner I am guilty of using fixin and Y'all in my everyday speech. I have traveled all over the world and have found that there are MINOR differences all over the US. One that bugs me used by my daughter-in-law, a New Yorker, is "these ones". I don't think this is unique to her since I have heard this used in other parts of the US. For those critical of us southerner using y'all how about the use of "youse" or "youse Guys". I'll take y'all any day. Although there are some regional differences here in the US the use of slang is minimal here compared to the British Isles. You have to go to mainland Europe to hear proper English spoken y'all.

[Randi]

I find "y'all" quite charming. I heard it the first time by a couple from Texas (of course! ). And I've heard it recently here, by a girl I know from Indiana.

[cassiesmom]

Being a card carrying southerner I am guilty of using fixin and Y'all in my everyday speech. I have traveled all over the world and have found that there are MINOR differences all over the US. One that bugs me used by my daughter-in-law, a New Yorker, is "these ones". I don't think this is unique to her since I have heard this used in other parts of the US. For those critical of us southerner using y'all how about the use of "youse" or "youse Guys". I'll take y'all any day. Although there are some regional differences here in the US the use of slang is minimal here compared to the British Isles. You have to go to mainland Europe to hear proper English spoken y'all.

I like y'all and all y'all! Nothing else works in quite the same way. Youse is common in parts of Chicago too.

I have a friend who took classes for radio broadcasting. Two things she had to learn to say were "W" with three syllables - since it's in radio call letters ... you're listening to double-U BBM AM in Chicago. And the other one was "hundred" -- not hunnerd ... this is one-hundred-point-seven on the FM dial.

[Moesha]

A problem I have with y'all is when people write it and spell it ya'll.

[luckies4me]

Being a card carrying southerner I am guilty of using fixin and Y'all in my everyday speech. I have traveled all over the world and have found that there are MINOR differences all over the US. One that bugs me used by my daughter-in-law, a New Yorker, is "these ones". I don't think this is unique to her since I have heard this used in other parts of the US. For those critical of us southerner using y'all how about the use of "youse" or "youse Guys". I'll take y'all any day. Although there are some regional differences here in the US the use of slang is minimal here compared to the British Isles. You have to go to mainland Europe to hear proper English spoken y'all.

My stepfather would correct me all the time when I said, "these ones". What would be the correct way of saying that? Just these?

Also, how about allright? Is it alright, all right, or allright?

[finn's mom]

Irregardless IS in the dictionary??? Wow! Live and learn I suppose.

Yes, ma'am. I'm referring to the online merriam webster edition, but as far as I know, it's legit. When you consider ginormous and staycation are both in there, too...it doesn't shock you as much.