"For all intensive purposes..."

[slobake]

Same difference

 

[Richland123]

Here are a couple words that since many people have pronounced them incorrectly for years, the wrong word is now accepted as well as the correct word.

Preventative in place of preventive

Sherbert in place of sherbet

 

[slobake]

When I worked as a laborer in Dallas they told me I was slower than a thanksgiving turkey on Christmas.

 

[ianuaditis]

We have a small town in Pennsylvania called Coupon and everybody pronounces it correctly as "Coo-pon". However, most people around here say they redeem "cyoo-pons". Go figure.

I moved here from another part of the state and I never heard cyoopon before that. I just don't get where the 'yoo' comes from.

"the other day I was sitting on the cyooch watching TV, then I decided to take my cyoopon and get a cyoople of ice cream cones."

 

[bassdude51]

Here are a few English "dum dums" that bother me. (But not very much.)

How come a hemorrhoid isn't called an asteroid?

Double subjects..................."My friend Bob, he has a Corvette."

Firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly, fifthly, etc......................none of these need the "ly" added to them.

"Very unique". If something is unique, it is one of a kind and doesn't need to be "very one of a kind".

 

[El Güero]

I moved here from another part of the state and I never heard cyoopon before that. I just don't get where the 'yoo' comes from.

I don't know where the "yoo" comes from either, but both pronunciations are acceptable.

coupon

[koo-pon, kyoo-]

 

[ianuaditis]

I don't know where the "yoo" comes from either, but both pronunciations are acceptable.

coupon

[koo-pon, kyoo-]

yeah, I'm sure that pronunciation is in the dictionary because of usage and I wonder when it became common and why.

It's so striking for me because for 25 years I never heard it, and then I moved about 2 hours away in the same state and I hear it all the time.

(also there are no delis and people get confused when you call a pizza a pie but that's probably a different thread.)

 

[fendermademygibson]

"Very unique". If something is unique, it is one of a kind and doesn't need to be "very one of a kind".

That makes it more rarer.

 

[ianuaditis]

Here are a few English "dum dums" that bother me. (But not very much.)

How come a hemorrhoid isn't called an asteroid?

Double subjects..................."My friend Bob, he has a Corvette."

Firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly, fifthly, etc......................none of these need the "ly" added to them.

"Very unique". If something is unique, it is one of a kind and doesn't need to be "very one of a kind".

It's been a while, but from what I recall of linguistics, double subjects and unnecessary qualifiers are common linguistic phenomena. The usage of words has a kind of life cycle and words that once were seen as sufficient to stand alone lose their force over time. So people add qualifiers like 'very.' The same thing with double subject, this reduplication goes back as far as we have record of languages.

I'm sure most of this happens on a subconscious level - when you parse it out it makes no sense but people understand when you say it, so it works.

and evidently 'firstly, secondly, etc.' has stood alongside first, second, third since before Shakespeare:
firstly - Wiktionary

 

[Richland123]

Why do people say "Where are you at?" when "Where are you?" is proper and sufficient?

I never watched "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You At!"

 

[shadowtippy]

Here are a few English "dum dums" that bother me. (But not very much.)

How come a hemorrhoid isn't called an asteroid?

Double subjects..................."My friend Bob, he has a Corvette."

Firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly, fifthly, etc......................none of these need the "ly" added to them.

"Very unique". If something is unique, it is one of a kind and doesn't need to be "very one of a kind".

That is the most perfect example I have seen.

 

[Pilgrim]

This whole discussion illustrates my headaches in grading papers. I have a few grad students who come into my class writing below the level of high school seniors. I make no allowance for this. In a graduate program, you either write clearly and accurately, learn how to do so quickly, or flunk. I help them by editing (not just correcting) their papers using Track Changes, which is a huge drain on my time, but after they get over the initial shock of seeing red all over the paper, the smart ones get the idea that they need to actually focus, write multiple drafts, and learn APA style.

Harrumph, harrumph.

 

[slobake]

And whatnot. I blame John Madden for that one.

 

[ChrisB2]

..and stuff...

 

[zontar]

On tenderhooks.

 

[zontar]

That makes it more rarer.

Not less rare?

 

[fendermademygibson]

Not less rare?

Less rare would mean that, wait, more rarer would be...

 

[PMagers]

Here are a couple words that since many people have pronounced them incorrectly for years, the wrong word is now accepted as well as the correct word.

Preventative in place of preventive

Sherbert in place of sherbet

... and Lozengers.

 

[PMagers]

I believe they re-branded 'Friendly' restaurant to 'Friendly's' a few years ago because most people just pronounced it that way.

 

[Munjibunga]

The realitor said the masonary wall was going to fall down. Irregardless, I'm going to buy the property anywho.