site banner

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 14, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

5
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

I'm guessing a lot of people are getting words audibly and then repeating them in print phonetically. It's common enough to become a thing. I'm guessing people just read a lot less books/newspapers/magazines where they'd have learned the correct phrasing of things. I remember having the opposite problem where I'd read a lot as a kid and knew words and phrases but not how they actually sounded out loud so when I'd try to say it I sounded dumb but people who learned it from hearing it would know how to say it right but maybe not how to write it.

At least they're probably using the word to mean what it actually means and they just don't know how to spell it. It doesn't bother me but I see so many people use the word nonplussed to mean not impressed (which arguably makes sense) even though it means confused. One thing I see a lot of even really smart people do is say "with regards to" instead of "with regard to" and I have to stop myself from commenting about it at this point.

I think using the wrong words or phrases or spelling them incorrectly isn't that bad of a thing but I hate the new trend of everyone just deciding that being grammatically incorrect is correct if enough people are wrong and doing it enough. Mostly because it feels like people trying to write history rather than letting it happen.