Cloudy and Cool Paul Yeager–Huffington Post
Posted by languageandgrammar on December 8, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever and Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities
Lead and led are two completely different words with completely different meanings, but since the past tense of the verb form of lead is pronounced the same as the noun form of the word lead, confusion runs rampant!!
For more information, read my most recent AIS Writing Tip, Confusing Word Pair: Lead and Led.
Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged: confused word pairs, grammar, language, lead/led, lead/led confusion, writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted by languageandgrammar on October 18, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever and Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities
What if someone who doesn’t like the way in which we make up new words for no reason or change the meaning of existing words as part of superficial trends finds a made-up word that accurately represents his dislike of that process?
Well, if that person is me, he writes a post about it!!
The new “word” is logomisia, and it means, according to the Urban Dictionary, “disgust for certain words or a particular word; a disgust for certain words or for a particular word.”
The word does not seem to appear in regular dictionaries or even in dictionary.com, which seems to embrace any new word or new usage of a word quickly.
Don’t feel bad. We all experience logomisia at some point–even the typical descriptivist who believes that common usage is all that’s needed to change language.
Embrace it, and go ahead–use the new “word.” You know you want to.
For the record, the new (and often useless) word is called a neologism, and the above image is a neologism from plasticbag.org.
Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged: grammar, language, logomisia, neologism, new words, writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted by languageandgrammar on July 20, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
This mistaken phrase for all intensive purposes falls into the category I like to call “Close but no cigarette.”
The correct phrase is for all intents and purposes, and it means, more or less, “for practical purposes.” A correct example would be: For all intents and purposes, the game was over in the fourth inning when the Yankees scored 10 runs.
The commonly used incorrect version of the phrase (for all intensive purposes) seems to indicate a sense of urgency, such as an intense situation. This is contrary to the original use of the phrase.
A Google search for the mistaken phrase results in 17 million-plus results. Granted, many of those are entries that point out that it’s incorrect; however, it is a general indication of the widespread use of the incorrect phrase.
For more information, see this Wise Geek entry: What does “All Intensive Purposes Mean?”
Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged: for all intensive purposes, for all intents and purposes, grammar, language, mistaken phrases, writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted by languageandgrammar on June 27, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
I was a recent Web conference associated with my day job, and I was extremely fortunate to attend during a year when there were so many thought leaders floating around, including one of the keynote speakers. I was merely one of the much less important thought followers.
Leaders, innovators, experts, and book authors are nothing new, but the concept of a thought leader is. It’s a re-hash of the old terminology, but I find it to be condescending. I might not have the expertise of one of the so-called thought leaders, but my thoughts are as valuable as his or hers.
I know. That’s not how the term is intended, and it’s just the people in a new generation defining themselves in their own way. But I’m telling you this: I have my own thoughts, and I’m not going to follow anyone else’s!
Speaking of thoughts, mine often wandered to the attendees who paid a couple of hundred bucks each for the right to not pay attention to the presenters. How could they–with tweets to send and follow, Facebook pages to update, e-mail to send, and Web sites to visit?
Seriously, have you noticed how little attention people now pay to other people, including those who they adorn with such titles as “thought leaders?” It’s getting progressively more difficult to get work done with so few people paying attention.
Posted in language, writing | Tagged: condescending terms, language, terminology, thought leader, trendy words | Leave a Comment »
Posted by languageandgrammar on May 20, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
Using overly trendy language can lead to all sorts of problems, such as lengthy conversations and strained relationships. To make my point, here is a hypothetical conversation between a mom who thinks she’s hip and a friend who prefers to use normal language:
Mom: “I don’t know what to do. Now that Sarah is a tween, she’s getting more difficult to handle.”
Friend: “Sarah is 13 already? I thought she was 11. I thought her 10th birthday was just last year.”
Friend (agitated and concerned) continues: Geez. I’m getting old fast. Maybe it’s dementia. I’ve got to see a doctor.”
Mom: “No! She’s 11, not 13. Why do you think she’s 13?
Friend: “Because you just said she’s a teen!”
Mom: “I didn’t say that! Aren’t you listening?”
Friend: “Oh my God. It’s worse than I thought. Now, I’m hearing things. I could have sworn you said that Sarah is a teen. Maybe I can call Dr. Phil or Dr. Drew.”
Mom: “No, I said ‘tween,’ not ‘teen.”
Friend: “Dr. Oz. I like Dr. Oz. He can help me. Yeah, Dr. Oz.”
Friend (catching up to the conversation):”Tween?!?!? What the CENSORED does that mean?”
Mom: “There’s no need for that tone. A tween someone who’s not yet a teenager but isn’t exactly a child, either.”
Friend (laughing): “Oh, so you meant to say pre-teen, but you accidentally invented a new “word.” That’s funny.”
Mom: “I didn’t make it up. Everyone is saying it. It’s either tween or tweenager.”
Friend: “No–not everyone. That’s stupid. I call them ‘pre-teens’ like I always have–and so does everyone else I know.”
Mom: “Well, you don’t have to call me stupid. You’re the one who doesn’t know the new words.”
Friend: “It’s not a word. The only time I’ve ever heard tween was when someone was too lazy to say between.”
Don’t let this happen to you!
Posted in grammar, humor, language, writing | Tagged: grammar, humor, language, non-words, tween, writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted by languageandgrammar on April 29, 2011
Although I’ve written about impact before, it bears repeating, especially since more and more people seem to be getting addicted to its use as a verb that means to affect.
Impact is a noun that denotes forcible contact or a collision between objects, as in The impact was strong enough to be felt miles away, or a verb that denotes something physically pressing closely into something else.
I’m not sure where its use as a verb meaning affect started, but it’s a recent development, most likely initiated either a) in order to create false melodrama or b) by someone who has poor grammar skills. Impact sounds much more dramatic than the correct word affected, which is what is usually meant when impact is used.
Dictionary.com, which has never met a grammar mistake it has not only liked but embraced, says, “Although recent, the new uses are entirely standard and most likely to occur in formal speech and writing.” Entirely standard? Why?
In other words, they’re preemptively spouting their descriptivist dogma in an attempt to prove they’re right—–but on what grounds? It sounds like on the grounds that this grammar error has been repeated many times by many people and is perpetuated in part by these kinds of dictionaries.
Sherry
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Posted by languageandgrammar on April 17, 2011
As you know, we here at Everything Language and Grammar are all for making up words whenever it’s convenient because language changes, and since it does, we should all have the authority to change it ourselves.
All right, before you think we’ve gone all descriptivist on you, I’ll stop the sarcasm and give you today’s made-up word: stresscalation.
I guess it means escalation of stress, but some people are too busy and stressed to say all of that, so they’ve shortened it to one, easy-to-use non-word.
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Posted by languageandgrammar on March 27, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
Research from an interesting study, the Nun Study, states that more complex grammar when young might mean a lower risk of dementia as an older person. More information can be found on a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette blog; however, since it’s a premium site, access might be limited.
The nuns were originally being studied because they had never used tobacco or alcohol or had given birth, but during the research, it was discovered that they had written essays during their youth about why they wanted to become nuns in the first place.
These early essays were then studied.
According to the Post-Gazette story above:
Results obtained by testing the cognitive functioning of the surviving nuns (93) and brain examinations of the deceased religious (14) showed low idea density (a simplified definition: how many ideas presented in a sentence divide by sentence’s words) and low grammatical complexity in the early-life essays were associated with dementia in later life!
Interesting, and it seems to support other studies that indicate that more brain activity reduces the potential for dementia later.
Keep the thoughts and words flowing!
Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged: dementia, grammar, language, language skills, nun study, writing | Comments Off
Posted by languageandgrammar on March 20, 2011
By Paul Yeager, author of Literally, the Best Language Book Ever
I know that this isn’t news since the Plain Language Act passed last year, but since I’ve recently talked about convoluted and over-inflated language, I thought I’d mention it now.
Law language is often full of doublespeak and confusing terminology, much of it with no apparent purpose other than to confuse those who aren’t used to reading such material, and the Plain Language Web site (related to the previously mentioned act) includes some “before” and “after” examples of laws.
The goal of the site is to highlight how much more understandable laws would be if written in plain language, but the before-and-after comparisons page also illustrates how confusing our daily communication may be if we use the same stilted, long-winded approach.
Here’s one example (before and the much simpler after):
Before
After notification of NMFS, this final rule requires all CA/OR DGN vessel operators to have attended one Skipper Education Workshop after all workshops have been convened by NMFS in September 1997. CA/OR DGN vessel operators are required to attend Skipper Edication Workshops at annual intervals thereafter, unless that requirement is waived by NMFS. NMFS will provide sufficient advance notice to vessel operators by mail prior to convening workshops.
After
After notification from NMFS, vessel operators must attend a skipper education workshop before commencing fishing each fishing season.
Posted in grammar, language, writing | Tagged: convoluted language, grammar, language, over-inflated language, writing | Leave a Comment »
