This isn't a technical post. It's a rant, sort of. But it relates to something that's important to anyone who blogs and speaks to audiences routinely, as I do. We are fast forgetting how to write well and speak well in the US. The infusion of so many cultural influences into the English language is exciting and bodes well for our language long-term. I truly enjoy how many of the modern influences on the English language make it more fluid and much more expressive. But these influences are also diluting the language in some detrimental ways. As Aaron Kuzemchak, one of the really smart people with whom I work, tweeted today "[It] really annoys me when people misspell 'lose' as 'loose'." I understand his frustration. It doesn't help that the arcane rules of English allow an S to sound like an S sometimes and like a Z at other times. I suppose it could be much worse. We could speak French, a language where the written form of the language seems to have almost no bearing on what's actually spoken. I beg my Québécois friends for mercy. My kids do a funny skit about a French spelling bee that is clearly recognizable as a derivative of The Spanish Inquisition skit by the Monty Python troupe. Very funny stuff. They're like the Jackson 5 of comedy, I swear.
But in all seriousness, how hard is it to discern the difference between loosening one's belt and losing one's keys? It's not rocket science. I agree with Aaron. If English is your native language and you can't deal with that kind of subtlety, you need to hit the books and train yourself to speak and write with more accuracy. If English is not your first language, of course, you have a pass to make these kinds of mistakes ad infinitum. When I butcher the Portuguese language on my trips to Brazil, they grin and designate my mistakes as bonito (cute). Here are some of my other English pet peeves:
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NUCLEAR is not pronounced new-cue-lar. Come one, George, you are the leader of the free world. It ain't hard. If you want a better way of illustrating why this one's wrong, switch the first two letters of the word. Is it un-cue-lar now?
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ATHLETE is not pronounced ath-a-lete. This faux pas was made famous in the movie
The Benchwarmers, making it slightly funnier but no less annoying. Just where did the extra syllable come from? Similarly, a Real-a-tor sounds like the name of a
Deceptacon, not someone who sells real-a-state [sic].
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JEWELRY is not pronounced jew-la-ree. Come on, people! In this case, the second phoneme did a sort of palindromic backflip. Why? We must stop the madness!
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What does IRREGARDLESS mean, anyway? Does it mean not without regard? If it did, wouldn't you just say "regarding", instead?
OK, end of rant. I could go on but I won't. If you an English speaker and have the misfortune (as I did) of growing up in a home where the nuances and beauty of our language weren't taught to you, you should seriously seek out a copy of Verbal Advantage: 10 Easy Steps to a Powerful Vocabulary or Word Smart: Building An Educated Vocabulary. Of course, it's not all about vocabulary. But, in my experience, focusing on building your vocabulary leads to improvements in both grammar and diction. My parents are wonderful people. But they don't know much about the language they speak, to be honest. As a result, they are uneasy speaking and writing their ideas. And what a shame that is. Much of the richness of their lives will be lost to time because they aren't motivated or empowered to record it. I am determined to give my children the confidence to become good speakers and writers. And that starts with my deciding to do the same for my life.
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