American grammar ain’t no good

Saturday 28th February 2009, 9:57AM GMT.

From Madeline Bates.
I FIND it rather amusing that the headline on your report (JEP, 25 February) regarding research on language has the word ‘invite’ (a verb), when it should be ‘invitation’ (a noun).

I realise it is fashionable to use American grammar and spelling these days, but why do people feel it necessary to do so?

After all, the Americans stole our language and then corrupted it to suit themselves. We should rise above it, not allow ourselves to be dragged down to their level of intelligence.
2 Clarendon Road,
St Helier.

1
Bob Fleming

March 2, 2009 at 1:41 pm

I really hate the invite rather than invitation error as well. Can’t people tell when they’re speaking that it just doesn’t sound correct? I realise that most people’s annoying speaking errors originate from America and Australia, but I have no problem with the way they speak. What really irritates me is the way that idiots over here start speaking like them. I have many examples, but here are just a few of them :

“I was like” – why does every sentence that people say have to be prefixed with “I was like” or “and I was like” or even “s’like”?

Missing out the word “The”. Why has this started happening? It was in the JEP on Saturday – The Kooks were referred to as “Kooks”. That doesn’t make sense. Are you referring to THE Kooks or just Kooks generally?

Putting the date the wrong way round. Luckily the JEP still puts the day/month/year format, but this website has it the American way round. Why?

Saying “right now” instead of “at the moment”. Why does everybody say that right now?

Saying “no worries” or calling people “dude”. Why, why, why are you doing it? It makes you sound simple.

Pronouncing Ts as Ds, usually a reserve of the yarpies. “Ya, we’re gonna take Rupert and Tabitha down da Big Verns in the X5 to have a bid of early supper about five thirdyish – that okay with you guys?”

And the one I hate the most is people saying every statement as if it’s a question. Oh my word this irritates me, but I would say about 90% of the people I speak to do it. People even deny that they do it as they’re doing it – “I never do that, because, it’s like, so annoying?” SHUT UP!

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2
Dompycat

March 2, 2009 at 9:42 pm

What about Jersey French. I can’t believe the ignorance of the people who stole the French language and corrupted it to suit themselves. They even used it to write some of the Island’s laws. Idiots!

Same goes for the majority of Europe who stole the Latin language and corrupted it into English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and just about every other modern language and dialect commonly spoken in the Western world. How dare they.

In fact, I think we should all just sit about grunting like cavemen, because there is no need for language and dialect to ever evolve.

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3
Gerry

March 2, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Jersey born, I have worked in america where I found a greater degree of generosity, philanthropy and intelligence than I have encountered in the UK’s capital while teaching in one of London’s most prestigious institutions. Current academic research proves that modern american, particularly in Missouri, is closer to 18th century english than modern english. So who has been corrupting?

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4
lula

March 3, 2009 at 9:48 am

Don’t you just love it when you are writing a letter on MSWord and the little paperclip says “It looks like you’re writing a letter, do you want any help with that?”

NO Mr. Paperclip – why would I want help writing a letter when your grammar is atrocious!

Whatever happened to “it looks AS IF you are writing a letter”?

ARGHHH! Does anyone else here speak American? I prefer ENGLISH!

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5
Bean up all night

March 3, 2009 at 4:03 pm

Grammar and language is never constant. It has always developed and changed with the times; bits added here and other bits lost somewhere else.

The ‘correct’ grammar of today would have been frowned upon in past times and, indeed, people would have been completely confused with today’s grammar and language in William Shakespear’s time.

Who knows? Perhaps in many years time we will all be writing in mobile phone language and today’s grammar will be deemed archaic.

Long may the development of language continue.

Fanx 4 reedin dis. L8rs

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