"Whenever" and "Seen"

[kokopup]

What a funny thread!
Gee now that I think about it.... the english language is pretty darn complicated!

English has a lot of nuances not found in a many other languages.

[Twisterdog]

My mom says "warsh", it drives me batty, but I don't say anything to her. She is almost 80, she's not changing her ways now.

Something that makes my brain bleed is using an adjective in place of an adverb. This was the headline in our local paper last week, "What Could We Have Done Different?" How about "Differently"? Like "Drive Slow!" .... how about "Slowly"? The adverb is dying a slow death in this country.

[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.

[finn's mom]

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

Same here! I'm all right with the actual phrase, it's a contraction of you all and makes sense to me, even if it does sound a bit hick (I say it, so I don't mean that in a bad way). I personally think it's charming, and always have. I also like you's (youse, however you spell it) and even you'uns (again, no idea how you'd spell that, haha).

But, it does bug me when it's spelled ya'll.

[kokopup]

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

.

I have found that for the most part the only people that actively try to lose their southern accent are those going into acting or broadcast. The mistake made by many, out of the south, is thinking that a slow southern accent means slow thinking or lack of education. I only have a BS but all the Dr's and PHD's that i know still have their accents and probably say Y'all , Fixin and tumped.

I liked a line from The song 'My Homes is Alabama" by Alabama

Oh I'll speak my Southern English just as natural as I please I'm in the heart of Dixie, Dixie's in the heart of me

I spent a lot of my working life out of the south, in other parts of the world, but always considered it home. The South is where I ended up retiring. In case you haven't noticed I love the south, the people, and all the quirks here in.

[smokey the elder]

This is a neat thread! A lot of the things people see as problems with grammar, spelling, etc. are probably the same thing people observed 500 years ago. Languages change, take in loan words, coin words, lose words. Look at the syntax for Middle English vs. Modern English; you'll think you're reading German, for example. Should people be careful, especially in written language? Sure. But I have a guilty pleasure in finding out what new words make it into various dictionaries each year!

[prechrswife]

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

Me, too.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Are and our are two completely different words.

"We ate lunch at are favorite restaurant" is WRONG
"We ate lunch at our favorite restaurant" is CORRECT

[Pinot's Mom]

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

Well, spelling it ya'll is just strange. I have been using y'all intermittently for some time, even though I was raised in Yankee territory. It's just something that slipped in - my Rhode Island people would be appalled!

OK-pet peeves of mine (and, for those of you who know where I am, I work in HAMPDEN, which has a language all it's own), and I will not list who says them:
hisself instead of himself
aks instead of ask
I seen instead of I have seen
irregardless - AND I DON'T CARE IF IT'S IN THE DICTIONARY NOW!
where you at? I hear this ALL the time and it is absolutely nails on a chalkboard with me
incorrect spelling/terminology in business documents-there are computer programs for that!!

I'll leave it at that for now...

[pomtzu]

Well, spelling it ya'll is just strange. I have been using y'all intermittently for some time, even though I was raised in Yankee territory. It's just something that slipped in - my Rhode Island people would be appalled!

Yes - I'm appalled!

I have a couple of things, that from the way I pronounce them, people know that I'm not a native of this area. Like instead of "lobster", I say "lobsta". I don't say it often tho, since that's something not in my budget!! My brother that passed away, never lost his RI accent even after living in FL for 30+ years. Talking to him on the phone, you would think you were talking to Ted Kennedy.

I do take shortcuts in informal writing (such as on PT), like thru or tho, but would never spell them that way in a business document. I still don't say y'all, tho I do say "gonna" instead of "going to".

[cassiesmom]

I've heard a new word around here of late ... hinky. (ex. "That was a rather hinky phone conversation.") It seems to mean illogical, out of character, unusual, strange. Another one is wonky. (Ex: I can't figure out her wonky filing system. It's too dry in here; the static cling is making my hair all wonky.)

I have a co-worker who says "flustrated" when she means "flustered".

Is "woken" a word or should it be awakened?

I love the word "twitterpated" from the movie Bambi. Everyone gets twitterpated in the spring

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Spelling IS important - some of us are trying to learn here!! One of these PT Spelling threads even made it into/in to? "Thread of the year"!

I do make some blunders myself, no doubt, but I don't understand how anyone can mix up "then" and "than".

Guilty....... I don't understand the difference, so could someone please explain this to me??
Something else is this: Preacher'smom wrote this: "it drives me crazy to see " 's" at the end of a word to make it plural. An apostrophe and the letter "s" shows ownership."
I need info on this too.....

I'm really trying to write as less mistakes as possible, but I cannot help writing mistakes.... . I left school 30 years ago, and English is only my 3rd language.....
Please everybody, remember that not ALL members here have English as mothertongue...

[Randi]

Lut, if you look up the words "then" and "than" in your dictionary, you will see it's two different words. "Then" is when you say: Bernard planted some flowers in the garden, then he put the tools away and went inside for a cup of coffee.

"Than" is used when you say: The red flowers are prettier than the yellow.

Here are some more examples from another thread:

Then = at that time. As in "I was still in school then." Or "Come at noon; I'll be ready then."
Next in time, space, or order; immediately afterward. As in "I watched the late movie and then went to bed."
In addition; moreover; besides. As in "It costs $20, and then there's the sales tax to pay."
Used after but to qualify or balance a preceding statement. As in "The star was nervous, but then who isn't on the first night of a new play."
In that case; accordingly. As in "If traffic is heavy, then allow extra time."
As a consequence; therefore. As in "The case, then, is closed."

Than: Used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second element or clause of an unequal comparison. As in "She is a better athlete than I."
Used to introduce the second element after certain words indicating difference. As in "He draws quite differently than she does."

This is another good example:

One pet with many toys: "the animal's toys"
More than one pet with many toys: "the animals' toys"


And a good link:

http://www.dreaded-apostrophe.com/

[phesina]

I'm really trying to write as less mistakes as possible, but I cannot help writing mistakes.... . I left school 30 years ago, and English is only my 3rd language.....
Please everybody, remember that not ALL members here have English as mothertongue...

Lut, you are another one who speaks/writes English beautifully! I know only a few words of French and nothing of Dutch?/Flemish?/whatever else you speak there..

All of you PT folks whose first language is not English do a beautiful job using it and keeping up with the discussions here and participating in them!!!