Friday, July 4, 2014

"He had recently underwent ..."

Oh, my poor ears!

If this were an isolated instance, I wouldn't write about it, but it's not - it's all too common, I'm afraid, including such oddities as "I should have went ..."

What are these people doing in school?!?

Better question: What do they teach them in school? Are the teachers themselves so ignorant? Are there no standards when writing essays? Are classes in grammar and vocabulary so deficient?

This is my soap box: Proper conjugations should be taught in grammar school, and by the time someone reaches the professional ranks, such "rank" errors ought to be gone for good!

The above two examples were spoken by professionals.

"I think that sucks!"

Folks, that expression has sadly become part of our everyday lexicon.  It is ubiquitous in its use. Even otherwise professional people use it with impunity.  It's all over the internet, in all types of media, representing the gamut of articles.

And it's repulsive.

As with other objectionable figures of speech, expletives of various kinds, or casual idioms, "that sucks" is neither elegant, professional, nor even acceptable in any sense of the word.  Unless you are discussing one of the instincts of the newborn, that word should be eliminated from your vernacular.  If you are not discussing the method of drinking through a straw, eliminate that word from your vocabulary.  The only other use for it might be if you are part of a group of school children gathered in the locker rooms debating the merits of a bad grade.

With a tip of the hat to Seth Stevenson, who eloquently wrote about the passe nature of the word in his article, Suck It Up, I must state that I still find the word offensive, abrasive, and downright inappropriate.  I don't care that it's been part of everyday language for a long time; I don't care that no one associates fellatio with the word anymore; I don't care that most people don't even know what it means, or that it's a "concise, emphatic" way to say something is no good. I still find it objectionable.

Another word has been part of the English lexicon far longer than sucks, and yet is still considered taboo in polite society.  Ah, but this does beg the question: Are we a polite society anymore? I no more enjoy hearing "fuck this place; this is fucked up" in a public place, than I do sucks. Call me old fashioned, that's okay, I don't mind.

How long a word has been in usage should not be the overriding criterion for keeping it going. Surely, we are all aware of objectionable words that have seen their time pass. The current social debate even concerns names as old as the sport they represent: the Redskins.

No, how long a word has been in existence is not an excuse to continue using it.

It is clear that Mr. Stevenson's use of the English language is masterful.  He writes flawlessly, with perfect grammar and superb vocabulary, all skills and talents dear to my heart. But his arguments are not as sentient.

The word sucks - along with his other notables mentioned in his article - are vulgar and offensive. That he claims they more efficiently express our emotions is to condemn us to a further deterioration of our language. Surely, someone as well spoken as Mr. Stevenson could find an effective way of speaking his mind without resorting to those expletives - indeed, he may well invent some.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Amenable vs amiable

"The tear is not amiable to surgical repair at this time."  Huh??? Amiable means friendly.

Methinks that person meant amenable, which means ready for, disposed to, in a condition for.