Linguisting or Semantic Pet Peeves

[blastoff]

I go, "What day is it?"

And she goes, "It's Saturday."

 

[Pogo]

I go, "What day is it?"

And she goes, "It's Saturday."

.... and I'm like, "cool" and she's like, "why?"

​

Not at all a bad accent for a Brit

 

[Cassy Mo]

I go, "What day is it?"

And she goes, "It's Saturday."

That's how I would answer, as well. If you asked for the date, I'd give it to you.

 

[Pogo]

I go, "What day is it?"

And she goes, "It's Saturday."

That's how I would answer, as well. If you asked for the date, I'd give it to you.

No no --- it's the verb. "Goes" rather than "says".

I can remember that one from my high school days back in the 1840s. As well as "is like" which is really an interesting construction, in that it denotes a different concept --- rather than directly stating somebody "said" something, which is concrete and finite, it takes a circumlocuitive route to assert that the person "said something similar to...". Technically a paraphrase rather than a quote.

In French it isn't "it is" Saturday but "we are" Saturday. More of an involved communal concept.

 

[blastoff]

I go, "What day is it?"

And she goes, "It's Saturday."

That's how I would answer, as well. If you asked for the date, I'd give it to you.

Public education?

 

[Cassy Mo]

crickets

 

[Montrovant]

Reiterate when you mean iterate.
I could care less when you mean I couldn't care less.
Conversating when you mean talking.

I agree with the second one.

I don't think I've ever heard the third, although it sounds quite a bit like a line from Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

[Pogo]

Reiterate when you mean iterate.
I could care less when you mean I couldn't care less.
Conversating when you mean talking.

I agree with the second one.

I don't think I've ever heard the third, although it sounds quite a bit like a line from Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

I've heard the third, but never the first. The second has always driven me up the wall, and that I also remember from high school daze (so you'd think people woulda figured it out by now).

--- which directly addresses the concern Bonzi raised in post 65 --- if people are going around saying the direct opposite of what they mean, then how can we consider than anything they're saying at all has been thought through?

 

[Montrovant]

Reiterate when you mean iterate.
I could care less when you mean I couldn't care less.
Conversating when you mean talking.

I agree with the second one.

I don't think I've ever heard the third, although it sounds quite a bit like a line from Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

I've heard the third, but never the first. The second has always driven me up the wall, and that I also remember from high school daze (so you'd think people woulda figured it out by now).

--- which directly addresses the concern Bonzi raised in post 65 --- if people are going around saying the direct opposite of what they mean, then how can we consider than anything they're saying at all has been thought through?

If they do it with one or two common phrases, there's no reason to apply it to all conversation. That would only be an issue if it comes up in ways that are not common. Sadly, many many people use I could care less when they mean couldn't.

 

[Pogo]

Reiterate when you mean iterate.
I could care less when you mean I couldn't care less.
Conversating when you mean talking.

I agree with the second one.

I don't think I've ever heard the third, although it sounds quite a bit like a line from Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

I've heard the third, but never the first. The second has always driven me up the wall, and that I also remember from high school daze (so you'd think people woulda figured it out by now).

--- which directly addresses the concern Bonzi raised in post 65 --- if people are going around saying the direct opposite of what they mean, then how can we consider than anything they're saying at all has been thought through?

If they do it with one or two common phrases, there's no reason to apply it to all conversation. That would only be an issue if it comes up in ways that are not common. Sadly, many many people use I could care less when they mean couldn't.

Too true, I've heard it as noted for decades. I'm simply saying, if the person speaking can't even be bothered to listen to what they themselves are saying -- then why should I the listener?

 

[Bonzi]

Some people are just ignorant. They don't know the exact right word to use, but, you can tell what they are trying to say in context.

I deal with this on a daily basis.

 

[Unkotare]

Some people are just ignorant. They don't know the exact right word to use, but, you can tell what they are trying to say in context.

I deal with this on a daily basis.

Yes, Pogo does post almost every day.

 

[Bonzi]

like people mix up prostrate and prostate

or use the totally wrong expression like saying "they are made of Teflon" but really meaning they are made of "glass"... Teflon is used to describe someone that let's things easily roll off their back. Again, ignorance, but, if you can tell what they mean by context.

 

[Cecilie1200]

"Less" when it should be "fewer". Rule of thumb: if you are speaking of something that comes in countable units, you want "fewer".

Examples:

There is less sand on the beach, but there are FEWER grains of sand.
There is less water, but there are FEWER drops of water.

 

[Pogo]

"Less" when it should be "fewer". Rule of thumb: if you are speaking of something that comes in countable units, you want "fewer".

Examples:

There is less sand on the beach, but there are FEWER grains of sand.
There is less water, but there are FEWER drops of water.

That one just stands up and screams at me. I blame the old Miller Lite Beer commercials, which doggedly insisted their product had "less calories" .

"Less rain; fewer raindrops". Less of much, fewer of many.

"Like I said" instead of "as I said", there's another....

 

[Pogo]

"Less" when it should be "fewer". Rule of thumb: if you are speaking of something that comes in countable units, you want "fewer".

Examples:

There is less sand on the beach, but there are FEWER grains of sand.
There is less water, but there are FEWER drops of water.

That one just stands up and screams at me. I blame the old Miller Lite Beer commercials, which doggedly insisted their product had "less calories" .

"Less rain; fewer raindrops". Less of much, fewer of many.

"Like I said" instead of "as I said", there's another....

TV has a definite deleterious effect. I blame the NFL broadcasters for completely perverting the pronunciation of the word "route".

I like to say: When Andy Reid figures out which roads he'll take to the stadium, he plans his route ("root"). When he gets there and the Seahawks proceed to beat him 48 to nothing --- that is a "rout".