Linguistic pet peeves

[North of Mouse]

What are things you hear that just make your skin crawl? Mine are adults calling each other "baby" or "baby girl" - yes I live in the South, this is one of our less charming colloquialisms, and mispronouncing "espresso," as I hear that almost daily, not uncommonly, by a barista. SMH.

Don't come down deep south then! We have a whole 'nother language!! And, no, we aren't uneducated, just our regional 'speak'!! Wouldn't have it any other way!! Doesn't bother me much at all - just different, and what you are used to hearing - really hear it when 'up north'!!!!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

People mixing up loss and lost.

"I'm so sorry for your lost."

People mixing up bless and blessed.

"Just bought a new house. I'm so bless."

I see it on IG all the time. Drives me crazy!

 

[bcla]

I have never seen someone use parenthesis as plurals. How weird. Can you give an example? I cannot even imagine how it would work.

I honk the intent was for apostrophes. The example given was "plural's".

 

[justussix]

At some point around here it was decided that there should be a "k" or "x" sound in "especially". As in, "expecially". NO!!! No "k", no "x". Just "especially".

I had a fourth grade teacher who was really strong with "Melk" instead of "Milk". Drives me nuts.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

@justussix, "melk" is truly awful. But I think that is an accent thing and not really incorrect. I'm from NY state and the accents very greatly from one end of the state to the other. I moved about 3 hours away from my hometown and some accent things drive me crazy. North of NYC, the name Cathy is pronounced "caaaathy". But these central NY state people pronounce it "ceeaathy" if that makes sense. The accent is so different that it reminds me of the accent in the movie Fargo. It totally drives me up a wall...

 

[bcla]

@justussix, "melk" is truly awful. But I think that is an accent thing and not really incorrect. I'm from NY state and the accents very greatly from one end of the state to the other. I moved about 3 hours away from my hometown and some accent things drive me crazy. North of NYC, the name Cathy is pronounced "caaaathy". But these central NY state people pronounce it "ceeaathy" if that makes sense. The accent is so different that it reminds me of the accent in the movie Fargo. It totally drives me up a wall...

We've got a broadcasting legend here named Greg Papa. He's originally from Buffalo, but we call him our own after over 30 years. However, the one thing he just can't get right is when he says "Cal". It usually sounds like "Kale" or "Kiehl". I don't know if it's his regional accent, but other than that he has a pretty neutral accent.

 

[Buckeye218]

When people say 'pacific' instead of 'specific'.

'For all intensive purposes' instead of 'for all intents and purposes'

misuse of your vs. you're

irregardless instead of regardless

 

[amberpi]

Don't come down deep south then! We have a whole 'nother language!! And, no, we aren't uneducated, just our regional 'speak'!! Wouldn't have it any other way!! Doesn't bother me much at all - just different, and what you are used to hearing - really hear it when 'up north'!!!!

Like I said, I'm from the South, I live here and love it! And love the colloquialisms, I just think its super, duper creepy to address a romantic partner as "baby," etc. Yick, yick, yick! But our use of language is certainly colorful and I think that is charming in the extreme!

 

[smiths02]

Saying "I stay at (insert neighborhood or city)" instead of "I live in..."
I'm not talking about temporary situations.
"I stay at Decatur." No, you don't "stay at" Decatur, you are a resident of Decatur.

 

[amberpi]

The hubs
Hubby
Hubster

OMG - the first and last are new for me!

 

[amberpi]

I'm on a plane quietly chuckling to myself on these and trying to figure out "melk" and how you can mispronounce "Cathy." Pretty sure the person on the aisle is looking at me funny.

 

[Squirlz]

I honk the intent was for apostrophes. The example given was "plural's".

You honk right! Not sure how that came out of my head.

 

[amberpi]

Similarly, I'd never heard anyone say "sm" in replace of "schm" until I moved down here. I've heard several people pronounce "Schmidt" and "Schwartz" as "Smidt" and "Swartz."

I'm dying over these! And having to say some of them under my breath.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

We've got a broadcasting legend here named Greg Papa. He's originally from Buffalo, but we call him our own after over 30 years. However, the one thing he just can't get right is when he says "Cal". It usually sounds like "Kale" or "Kiehl". I don't know if it's his regional accent, but other than that he has a pretty neutral accent.

This is EXACTLY what I mean.

 

[rastahomie]

Trying to pluralize "You," and coming up with bizarre bastardizations like "youse," younze," and the worst, "you'uns." I get that English is really lacking in this regard, and it can be frustrating to convey meaning when it comes to second-person plural. But dang. Just, dang.

Similarly, trans or gender-fluid people who insist on gender-neutral pronouns. I'll do my best to be polite and respectful, and if you identify as male, I'll use male pronouns, and if you identify as female, I'll use female pronouns, and if your identity changes by the day or even by the minute, I'll do my best to keep up. But I will not torture the English language just to accommodate you.

I once wrote an article about a trans person who was a victim of a crime. As she was identifying as female when she was victimized, I used female pronouns in my article. The person emailed me and told me they prefer gender-neutral pronouns, and would I please rewrite my article. No. No I will not. It would have rendered my article un-readable and made me sound ridiculous in the process.

 

[smiths02]

At some point around here it was decided that there should be a "k" or "x" sound in "especially". As in, "expecially". NO!!! No "k", no "x". Just "especially".

I had a fourth grade teacher who was really strong with "Melk" instead of "Milk". Drives me nuts.

I'm on a plane quietly chuckling to myself on these and trying to figure out "melk" and how you can mispronounce "Cathy." Pretty sure the person on the aisle is looking at me funny.

My father-in-law kind of does the "melk" thing. We went through a drive thru near dinner time (so not a normal time to order milk at a drive thru unless you have a kids meal). Anyhow, he said "melk." The person didn't understand. My FIL got really mad said "melk...m-i-l-k" and just drove off. He was thinking the person on the other end couldn't speak proper English. LOL We found somewhere else to eat.
My FIL is a really great guy, but he does that old curmudgeon stuff sometimes. My DH and I still laugh about it.

 

[SirDuff]

You honk right! Not sure how that came out of my head.

And I don't know how I missed your example - sorry. That makes much more sense (and is annoying).

 

[amberpi]

The word Prego. It's like nails on a chalkboard and I have a family member who will be starting a family soon and says it all the time. My neck twitches.

Grown women who call their SO/BF/DH "Daddy." Yuck!

OMG! EWWWWW! To both, but I've actually distanced myself from an acquaintance because her relationship with her husband (or is that the hubs?) is so creepy I hate being around them. They do the daddy/baby thing and take it WAY too far. ICK!

 

[smiths02]

In the South I hear a lot of people say "srimp" for shrimp.

My MIL does this. Yet, with "wh" words, she emphasizes the "h." I don't get it. She also says the "l" in "salmon."

 

[siskaren]

I've never heard that. Street is pretty straight forward "st" here in Nashville. Where do you live if that isn't too much?

I live in the Chicago suburbs, but I mostly hear it on TV - I think Jay Leno was the first person I ever heard say it.

Scrimps...instead of Shrimp.

Heighth...just because width has a "th" on the end doesn't mean HEIGHT does.

When I was a kid, I heard heighth all the time - I didn't know it wasn't actually a word until I was an adult.

"I seen" instead of I saw!!

That one drives me nuts!

misuse of your vs. you're

Another one that drives me nuts - it's like they're not familiar with contractions.

Other ones:

Confusing wander and wonder.

Worse comes to worse - it's worse comes to worst.

Using loose/loosing instead of lose/losing.

Suppose to or use to - it's supposed to and used to.

Definate.

Things like should've went or would've rode.