Am I being pernickety?

[Skatzoffc]

I hate it when people say "you should of done this"
rather than "you should have done this."
Use of new or slang English is fine if it improves meaning but that is just so stoopid

I prefer to use "should've" as it's less typing.
But also gives you're spellchecker the chance to replace the word with something totally random and change the meaning of the whole comment!

lol

[HatterDon]

Peabody!!!! Some folks never get the point.  082.gif

[Blanco]

Do you remember when the word "GAY" used to mean happy

What else does it mean?

[YankeeJim]

i love a good pedant type debate so here is my outlook.

this is an english MB commenting on an english game featuring the world's greatest football (not soccer) club called fulham. it would seem entirely reasonable and polite that the venacular used as common paralnce here was actually english, not the US variant. I am not sure why the american's have to change the language for this at all, it was totally unnecesary because football has its own international vernacular.

I wouldn't go to a baseball game and call the bat a stick of the absurd headwear a hat or call the field a pitch. so why change the currency of the game from proper english to a less good alternative.

That is my opinion but i woudn't fall out over it, but i do feel it strange the american's can't cope with the real words spelt properly.

As previously mentioned the z instead of an s irrites me.... adopt our language and then desicrate it why don't you? And (apologies for starting a sentence with and) unfortunately, 'americanisms are creeping in to our daily language'.

As long as we are all venting out pet language peeves: one of mine is the failure to capitalize Americanisms and the like. That, and calling a cerveza and ale and the baño a loo.......ah.....never mind.

Yes but missing the capital off American was an error, what's you excuse for zedding everything? You aren't answerable for the mutation of the English language and should feel no guilt, because you are educated to believe that you are correct. I, however will fall on my sword because of a capital.

Btw... didn't follow your second sentence at all..... is it me, lol

Just a poor colonists trying for some humour.  (How's that?)

[alfie]

Do you remember when the word "GAY" used to mean happy

What else does it mean?

I will leave that for you to work out yourself

[Holders]

I have to admit to being a bit of a linguistic pedant - sorry, I can't help it. I do, however, expect Americans to use their spelling variants but, conversely, English people to use the English ones. I suspect that the default spell-checker on this board is American so that those who are not sure, or who spell-check regularly, assume that the American version is "correct" and adopt it, assuming that they'd been wrong all along. I took this up with one of the mods once who habitually uses the American spellings himself, to no avail. I agree with Ray that our culture is at risk of being eroded by that very influential country over the water. 

Having said that, in some ways the American spellings, odd as they may look, are actually truer English than the French-derived ones; e.g. center and meter - because they're more in line with German, which is the sister language (sorry - tongue or speech) to English. Zs, also, were the norm a century or so ago and are more Germanic than Romance.

"Pavement" is French-derived; "side-walk" is truer English and there are other examples that I can't bring to mind now. That said, the converse applies: "lift" is English, "elevator" is French. The German for lift is lift and I find it bizarre when in a German-speaking country to be directed to the "elevator". "Nein, wir sagen auch "lift"! It always amuses me that the Finnish for lift is "hissi" - obviously onomatopoeic like the doors on Star Trek. 

I've noticed that the poster with perhaps the best English grammar of all on this board is ViennaFulham. Obviously knowing a demanding language like German helps in getting the nuances of a simpler foreign tongue correct.

[horse1031]

ha!  I started a topic about our center backs and thought about using centre.  I am american so I used center...   :dft011:

[BigbadBillyMcKinley]

Lucky there isn't any aluminium used. Then there really would be trouble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HatterDon]

And then there's always:

         This is what the English population,
         Calls an elementary education.

         Hear them down in Soho Square,
         Dropping "H's" everywhere,
         Speaking any way they like.
         You sir, did you go to school?

Bystander: Whatta tyke me for, a fool?

Harrison: No one taught him "take" instead of "tyke".
         Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse,
         Hear a Cornishman converse.
         I'd rather hear a choir singing flat.
         Just like this one.
         (Garn!)
         I ask you sir, what sort of word is that?

         Why can't the English teach their children how to speak.
         This verbal class distinction by now should be antique.
         If you spoke sir, instead of the way you do,
         Why you might be selling flowers too.

         An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him.
         The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him.
         One common language I'm afraid we'll never get.
         Oh why can't the English learn to set
         a good example to people who's English is painful to your ears?
 
         The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears.
         There are even places where English completely disappears.
         Well, in America they haven't used it for years.

         Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?
         Norwegians learn Norwegian, the Greeks are taught their Greek.
         In France every Frenchman knows his language from A to Zed.
         The French don't care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce properly.

         Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning,
         And Hebrews learn it backward which is absolutely frightening.

         If you use proper English you're regarded as a freak.
         Oh why can't the English,
         why can't the English learn to speak!  

you may well arsk

[Lighthouse]

Did you come here to die my son


Ner I come ere yesterdie.

[love4ffc]

Ok I give up.  I can't find the King's English anywhere in my language settings.  So I'll just have to settle for the guttural English option.  It's either that or Chinese 
:dft011:

[MayoDomo]

I'm American but grew up in the UK and I no longer have any idea which spelling is British and which is American. I shall do as I please! :P

[Berserker]

And then there's always:

         This is what the English population,
         Calls an elementary education.

         Hear them down in Soho Square,
         Dropping "H's" everywhere,
         Speaking any way they like.
         You sir, did you go to school?

Bystander: Whatta tyke me for, a fool?

Harrison: No one taught him "take" instead of "tyke".
         Hear a Yorkshireman, or worse,
         Hear a Cornishman converse.
         I'd rather hear a choir singing flat.
         Just like this one.
         (Garn!)
         I ask you sir, what sort of word is that?

         Why can't the English teach their children how to speak.
         This verbal class distinction by now should be antique.
         If you spoke sir, instead of the way you do,
         Why you might be selling flowers too.

         An Englishman's way of speaking absolutely classifies him.
         The moment he talks he makes some other Englishman despise him.
         One common language I'm afraid we'll never get.
         Oh why can't the English learn to set
         a good example to people who's English is painful to your ears?
 
         The Scotch and the Irish leave you close to tears.
         There are even places where English completely disappears.
         Well, in America they haven't used it for years.

         Why can't the English teach their children how to speak?
         Norwegians learn Norwegian, the Greeks are taught their Greek.
         In France every Frenchman knows his language from A to Zed.
         The French don't care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce properly.

         Arabians learn Arabian with the speed of summer lightning,
         And Hebrews learn it backward which is absolutely frightening.

         If you use proper English you're regarded as a freak.
         Oh why can't the English,
         why can't the English learn to speak!  

you may well arsk

Ah my Fair lady, very good Hatter.

[Peabody]

Cor blimey HD, you tellin us that we don't talk proper? Next you'll be tellin us that it's Soccer an not Football.

[Vinnieffc]

Whilst the subject has been brought up, I have to admit when I read the word 'roster' instead of squad it makes my blood boil! Silly but there we go :D

quite agree. A Roster is and always will be a male chicken.

[ToodlesMcToot]

Lucky there isn't any aluminium used. Then there really would be trouble.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Talk about starting a spelling battle royal. Or is it royale?  :dft011:

[ToodlesMcToot]

Whilst the subject has been brought up, I have to admit when I read the word 'roster' instead of squad it makes my blood boil! Silly but there we go :D

quite agree. A Roster is and always will be a male chicken.

what is a rooster then??

[cmg]

what is a rooster then??

Little. Red.

[gerrys]

We have an international society that is affecting our language and new words are being introduce informally and officially at a fast rate and it can be hard to discard the words we are familiar with in favour of new words.

However, we must remember that English has evolved over a long time and but for continual change and the introduction  of new words we would not have the rich language we have today.

However, I too find the adoption of American spelling a little disturbing and tend to stick stubbornly to the proper English version.

Program is a word that irritates me but am pleased to see Fulham maintain the  proper English spelling on the match day programme. All is not lost.

Could not agree more.........unfortunately there are too many Brits that use the "of verb" (as in "I would of...") and that really gets my back up!!!

[gerrys]

Cor blimey HD, you tellin us that we don't talk proper? Next you'll be tellin us that it's Soccer an not Football.

Ah...well I have posted this before. Rugger is English for "Rugby Football" and Soccer is English for "Association Football".