What're your English bugbears?

[Siz]

So, to complement the Word-geek thread, I'd like to ask what mistakes you find most annoying in the contemporary use of the English language.

I've already outed one - MATHS, not MATH (I'll fight you Americans to the death for this one). Here're some more:

- Their, there, they're.

- 'Could of' instead of 'could have'.

- Extraneous use of apostrophe's... (just like that).

- txtspk.

So, give me some more by which to be enraged.

I ask for merciless intolerance for anyone in this thread making spelling, grammatical or punctuative mistakes... and welcome the same personally!

[DeterminedJuliet]

I recently sat at a table with several English grad students when a vicious fight broke out:

According to the most recent edition MLA hand-book, each new paragraph must be indented to distinguish itself from the previous paragraph. However, the manual also requires that the first paragraph be indented. One student thought this was an outrage because, if it is the first paragraph, it doesn't need to be distinguished from the preceding paragraph. He was sticking to his guns, no matter how many times everyone else pointed out that it was the manual. Oh no, he insisted, the manual was wrong!

On a personal level, my older sister consistently misspells my son's name. It's not a crazy complicated or made up name, it's traditionally Irish and it's pretty phonetic. But she always changes the "o" in his name to an "e"; even if I have JUST written out his name, or she's commenting on a picture of him with his correctly spelled name right there. It drives me batty. 

[The Magic Pudding]

I like imitating speech, I s'pose I shouldn't, I just do it 'cause I like the sound of it.

I have caught myself making mistakes with their, there, they're.

I don't know when decimate lost its association with a loss of one in ten.  It is annoying when a fire kills 95% of a town but why understate the misfortune by describing the town as being decimated?

[Asmodean]

- Their, there, they're.

Also, theyr, thar and other variations.

Then and than comes to mind, although I can be guilty of messing those up myself on occasion.

Also, there is his versus he's...

Ooh, I suppose my list would be a long one, were I to really sit down and compile it.

[Siz]

Oh, man!, did I really spell bugbears wrong?!

Kill me now...

[Tank]

Oh, man!, did I really spell bugbears wrong?!

Kill me now...

I must say I did wonder what a bugears was 

[OldGit]

IMO bugears was more fun.  

As a student of linguistic history I try not to hate any new developments.  I don't always suceed.

I do feel very sad because most speakers have lost the feel for pronoun agreement unless the pronoun stands next to the noun.  Even these days, no native speaker would say He spoke to I, but stick a small distraction in the middle and they'll happily come out with He spoke to my friend and I.  OMFSM, have we sunk to this?  Objectively, I know that the language has now lost so many grammatical agreements that speakers are bound to lose the feel for the few we have left  But I don't like it.  Take me back to the days when English had solid grammar you could chew on.

[DeterminedJuliet]

Oh, I'm also not a fan of the "American" spelling of things, i.e. "color" instead of "colour" that kind of thing.

Upon some googling, I've found a neat chart comparing UK/Canadian/American spelling.
It's large, though, so I'll post a link: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/BritishCanadianAmerican.htm

[Siz]

IMO bugears was more fun. 

As a student of linguistic history I try not to hate any new developments.  I don't always suceed.

I do feel very sad because most speakers have lost the feel for pronoun agreement unless the pronoun stands next to the noun.  Even these days, no native speaker would say He spoke to I, but stick a small distraction in the middle and they'll happily come out with He spoke to my friend and I.  OMFSM, have we sunk to this?  Objectively, I know that the language has now lost so many grammatical agreements that speakers are bound to lose the feel for the few we have left  But I don't like it.  Take me back to the days when English had solid grammar you could chew on.

My mum always used to correct us (used to always correct us???... corrected us always???) to say 'someone and I', instead of 'me'. I continue to do this with my kids, but I fear it's just pissing in the wind because they're gonna be the odd ones out at school for talking properly.

I wonder what you, or anyone else thinks of the emergence of the jamaican twang that has come into common use, particularly in South and East London. I cannot bear to be spoken to in this lazy, pseudo-accent. I certainly will not accept this kind of disrespect around me in the work environment. But we are led to believe this is just another progression of regional accents. Am I just being curmugeonly or am I right to defend pronunciation of 't's and denounce a falsified accent?

[joeactor]

Oh, I'm also not a fan of the "American" spelling of things, i.e. "color" instead of "colour" that kind of thing.

Upon some googling, I've found a neat chart comparing UK/Canadian/American spelling.
It's large, though, so I'll post a link: http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/BritishCanadianAmerican.htm

Great chart (bookmarked it ;-)

I'm a big fan of differences, both in spelling and pronunciation.  I think it gives color (or colour) to our expression of language.
(but some things are just wrong, like its, it's, and its' usage)

I understand that spelling differences have arisen as people migrated, but what about words like "aluminium" vs. "aluminum"?
There's a whole extra syllable in that one!

With indigenous dialects and languages disappearing on a regular basis thanks to globalization and the internet, will it be long before there is one common language?  Should it be English?  Or maybe Mandarin?

Esperanto anyone?
JoeActor

p.s. and don't get me started on "whom".

[Siz]

I understand that spelling differences have arisen as people migrated, but what about words like "aluminium" vs. "aluminum"?
There's a whole extra syllable in that one!

I think you'll find there's one missing...

[AnimatedDirt]

While spelling and grammar may differ, I think we should agree that there is no sense in English accents.  I am blessed to have no accent at all having been born into the purest area of spoken English.  So. Cal.

My proof:  Listen to most all singers that sing in their native language of English (Brit/Aussie/U.S.).  The pronunciation is almost the same.  With the exception of thick Irish English, they all sing with what I call the So. Cal.  English...that's to say, with no accent at all.

TIC.

[Stevil]

Oh, I'm also not a fan of the "American" spelling of things, i.e. "color" instead of "colour" that kind of thing.

Yes, and then Microsoft Office defaults to American, Nek Minute we have Kiwis writing documents or putting up presentations in American, Zed's everywhere, but those U's, where'd they go?

[DeterminedJuliet]

Oh, I'm also not a fan of the "American" spelling of things, i.e. "color" instead of "colour" that kind of thing.

Yes, and then Microsoft Office defaults to American, Nek Minute we have Kiwis writing documents or putting up presentations in American, Zed's everywhere, but those U's, where'd they go?

Yes! Curse those misleading red squigglies!

[Asmodean]

Oh, man!, did I really spell bugbears wrong?!

Kill me now...

I must say I did wonder what a bugears was 

The Asmo did as well, but he found out that a bug-ear must be the same as... Well, a burr in the butt.