"Whenever" and "Seen"

[K9soul]

I would use speak when referring to a language, i.e. "I speak English," "Do you speak Spanish?"

"Talk" seems maybe slightly more informal, like "We need to talk." "Let's talk about pets." But when someone is giving a speech or a lecture they are usually considered to be "speaking" or a "speaker." Subtle differences and in some cases interchangeable.

[Randi]

It's amazing, the more English I read and write, the more I'm becoming? aware how much more I need to learn. I realize I can not apply for a job where they want "fluent English".


AdoreMyDogs, I caught you - he he! See this:

I see a lot of incorrect grammer here in Texas, more then I've ever seen before when I lived in Michigan.

Lots are making this mistake, though - and I will never understand why.

[Catherinedana]

OK - I'm from Brooklyn and when I moved to Florida (pronouned Fla-rida by me and Floor-ida) by most others, I got a bit of ribbing about my accent. I have lost the most intense part of my accent living outside of NY now for 15 years (I have learned to pronounce the "r" at the end of words! LOL!) but still backslide when I'm with my family or very comfortable with someone or very angry. I have my college degree in English and am a good writer, understanding the finer points of punctuation and such but I also believe that spoken English is very different from written. I would like to see folks take more care with their written English, but I absolutely LOVE accents and enjoy talking to people from other places and hearing how they speak. My former husband was from Ireland and he and his friends and relatives had me enraptured with their accents and use of words. I think that's the only reason I married him!!!!

Cut people some slack about their language use when they talk and enjoy the differences. . .it's really cool! One thing that does make me a bit nuts though is th use of "heigth" instead of "height". It's just plain incorrect and makes even the most intellegent person sound dopey. I hear that a lot in FL where I live. I even yelle at one of my bosses once when he said it repeatedly throughout the day and drove me crazy!

Cheers!
Cathy (formerly of Brooklyn, New Yawk)

[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...

[moosmom]

Here's one for you. "I axed my mother if I can go to the mall." That drives me up the wall!!!!

Another one is "irregardless". There is no such word. It's regardless.

[karyn674]

Insuriance instead of insurance drives me MAD! Obviously no one writes it that way but pronounces it...... on a TV program!?!?! Crazy!!

[finn's mom]

Another one is "irregardless". There is no such word. It's regardless.

Actually, it's in the dictionary, now. I think I pointed that out in this thread already at the beginning, but it stands repeating because it really does suck, haha. It sucks that it's considered acceptable, now.

Oh, and Leslie, my husband uses "tumped" to mess with me. He's from Louisiana and they say it down there, too. He doesn't use it "for real" but he does say it to rile me up.

And, my ex husband's family is from Indiana, and they ALL say "peenched" instead of "pinch" and "cooshion" instead of "cushion." It was crazy to hear all those people say that! The worst is "doberman peencher", hahaha, it just sounds so unintimidating.

[cassiesmom]

"at"....as in "where's it at?" "Where is it?" The "at" is useless, unnecessary and hurts my ears.

ES, this is proof that you don't live in Chicago anymore where's it at is a total Chicago thing!
Here is a lesson on Chicago-speak: http://www.seanparnell.com/Chicago/Chicagoese.htm

And Pomtzu, I think "waiting on" might be a Chicago thing too... we're just waiting on Elyse to get here, and then we'll head out.

My future-nephew-in-law is from New Jersey and we have had a lot of laughs over pronouncing marry, merry, and Mary.

I've got two current pet peeves ... nuclear- the word is not noo-kyoo-lar, it's noo-clee-ar. Same thing with jewelry -- the word is not jew-luh-ry, it's jew-el-ry, just like it looks.

And the other is voila. It's from the French language ... say vwa-la, because the V is not silent. Note that it's not spelled wa-la, either.

[Edwina's Secretary]

ES, this is proof that you don't live in Chicago anymore where's it at is a total Chicago thing!

And Pomtzu, I think "waiting on" might be a Chicago thing too... we're just waiting on Elyse to get here, and then we'll head out.

I am a Northsider....that's why!

On the northside, neighborhoods are defined by parks on the southside by parish!

One other Chicagoese that annnoyed me was "I am going by my mother's after work." I would always ask..."Do you wave?"

[phesina]

It's amazing, the more English I read and write, the more I'm becoming? aware how much more I need to learn. I realize I can not apply for a job where they want "fluent English".

Randi, you speak (or at least write) English beautifully! I don't think I know even one word of Danish .

[finn's mom]

I've got two current pet peeves ... nuclear- the word is not noo-kyoo-lar, it's noo-clee-ar. Same thing with jewelry -- the word is not jew-luh-ry, it's jew-el-ry, just like it looks.

Oh my gosh, those bug me, too! Especially jewelry! I HATE those 'cash for gold' commercials where one or two of the actors always mispronounces jewelry! It drives me completely bananas, it sounds incredibly dumb to me.

[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. . .