A Rant - English language for Americans why do so many not know how to use it properly?

It really chaps my ass when folks use $.02 instead of 2¢...now where's that woman with the sore tooth.

 

Sure it's not "Jive"?????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0j2dVuhr6s At the 1:00 minute mark. Yes I know that speak........................



A lot depends on environment of growing up.

 

Jive as in "Jive Talkin" by the Bee Gees? or the urban dictionary version:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jive-ass

Or a in a "Dirty Harry" (??) when a fellow detective calls Harry a "JAM" .

The term Ebonics is an invention as is Kwanzaa. It was found that in the Oakland, CA school district a significant number of students did not speak or understand standard English. There was a period in which "Ebonics" was being taught at major centers of learning. One example Being Texas Southern University in Houston. The class listing at the time was "Black English".

It would not surprise me if the late Barbara Jordan or the late Congressman Mickey Leland put that one to bed permanently. Adios Mofo!

There exist more legitimate language variants in different parts of the US. "Black" dialects in the tidewater states and the use of verb forms in Appalachia that sound odd but in fact are legimate forms in Elizabethan English. One example is the present tense "I be". This also carries over to the Spanish infinitives of Ser and Estar.

 

Let's not forget the Dutch. They communicate in English better than most Americans AND they smoke weed!



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[video=youtube;8Gv0H-vPoDc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc[/video]

 

Damn...this guy couldn't keep up with me in chat then.

 

My first job in the computer industry was with Sperry Univac. We had training films for some of the equipment we worked on. The instructor in the film would always say to "unloosen" this or that. To unloosen would be to tighten, eh?

 

I would have shit a brick at that

 

That's as bad as raise it up and lower it down!

 

I blame it on Electronic devices

 

Reg
You can kiss my
Wait that was perfect English ound:

 

I'm English but sometimes I write like in the US on forums. Stuff like "Tires" instead of "Tyres". There are lots of words where American English uses a Z where UK English uses an S.

But the one I find mildly irritating is "dampener" instead of "damper".

Is suspension really about using a device whose purpose is to make movement "damp" - as in wet? :tongue-new:

 

First minicomputers I worked on in the mid '80s at Training the instructor talked of the need to deal with Wetware failures, took a little while to work out they were talking about the human Users.

 

I like the term "fixings" for a bag of assorted nuts and bolts, if I think of "fixings" I think of Thanksgiving and a gravy boat and cranberry dressing. I use "gota" "wanna" "shoulda" just to appear 'cool' and have some vernacular cred. Tyres and colour are standard practice, behaviour is a good one too.

There is always gona be the 'dumbing-down' 'stream-lining' of language me thinks. I hear aboot from time to time from a certain person that I am very familar with who is accused of losing her heritage and language skills when she gets off the telephone with her mother that resides in Germany. Wonder who that is?? :wacko:

 

How does your vibrator affect your spelling? Does it make you stutter when your type or speak?

 

If you use gotsta, wansta and shudduva, you not only would be cool, but tough too.

 

Being a good deal younger than most members here, I have to say I'm extremely disappointed in my generation where grammar and composition are concerned. It's gotten to the point where I blatantly refuse to text back and forth with those who needlessly abbreviate words and cannot be bothered with punctuation. Sad day.

 

Duz Oklahoma City really have the "fastest-street-racers?" Wuts up wit dat?

 

HAHA! I've often wondered that same thing. I have no idea whatsoever why they chose OKC for that show's location. While there are some seriously powerful cars around here, surely there are equally quick rides in more camera-friendly locales. The funny thing is, the fastest guys around here aren't on the show and probably don't even watch it. There's a car club here called The 1% made up of wealthy CEOs and the like with insane exotics and old school muscle (talking 1,000+ whp here) and I don't think any of them take part.