Mini Language Rant

[lukon_idein]

Ok, so I have gradually accepted the fact that no one seems to be able to spell 'definitely' and will come up with any number of variations depending on their own dialect and ear. Even though it's directly related to the words 'finite' and 'definition', so should be relatively simple, I understand that not everyone thinks about words as obsessively as I do. And I may someday stop cringing when I see the word 'defiantly' inexplicably used in its place - is MS Word's autocorrect function doing its best with what it's given? (Can we blame Bill Gates for this? Please?)

But my overload vent finally went off tonight. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked. My rant will now be presented in four parts. Thank you.

a) Mini Rant. In a story I was just reading, the word 'definitely' (spelled perfectly correctly) was actually used where 'defiantly' was meant. What the fuck??? How have these two words become interchangeable??? They have NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.

and

b) Slightly longer rant. This incident brought me flashing back to a clothes-shopping incident from last summer that I'd thought I'd finally managed to block out. While I was out looking for some cheap summer-weight jammies from Target, two girls approached a nearby rack and after some sliding of hangers, one exclaimed "That is defiantly not it." ACK! It's gone verbal! It is possible that it was being used in all irony, and was some longstanding joke between the friends though there was no irony in her tone (or maybe it's just that everything she said was delivered in that same faux-ironic ennui-filled mocking tone that's worse than squeaking chalk boards). But even if they were joking, VERBAL, people! It's escaped the page and emerged into the spoken language! Holy Shit.

c) Analysis. The verbalization of the 'teh' phenomenon is annoying enough, and 'pwn' is, well, kind of amusing to me, actually, but these are new words created from the fabric of social interaction. Fine. That's how language works and all that. But this just ticks me off, because it's two well-established words being blatantly switched around. And it derails my reading pleasure when I'm minding my own business enjoying a story and then whammo! I have to stop and reread the sentence to figure out why there is suddenly conflict between characters where there was none a second ago, or vice versa.

d) Conclusion. I know not everyone is the best speller in the world, and that doesn't make people bad writers, so I'm not trying to get up on some elitist high horse. I just wish people could take an extra second with this word, since it is so frequently misused. Overall, I am pretty flexible and accepting in the world of online spelling, but He glared at Roy definitely just doesn't make any sense, goddammit.

Okay, sorry. I'll shut up now. Please don't flame me!

(Oh, and I can't believe it's been 7 weeks since I've posted anything. Writer's block continues unabated. Sigh. May need to eliminate sugar/carbs from my diet. Panic. Only have one chapter of thesis written. Groan. Am currently watching the movie trailer awards. Hangs head in shame.)

Comments

[lil-1337.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

*sends you an aura of peace and calm*

This is why I use a beta, because if you read something often enough your brain will see what it thinks is there not what is. Personally, I think you showed great maturity and restraint in not going to the book area, picking up the largest dictionary/thesaurus they had, and beating her over the head with it till she was /defiantly/ dead.

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

Awww. Peace and calm is very welcome, thank you. (Now if you could just sprinkle some motivation on top, that would be great!).

Yeah, I think I was too dizzy with shock to think of smacking her with a reference book. Good idea, though. Next time I will be prepared! :P

[lil-1337.livejournal.com]

*adds an extra helping of motivation* The fact that it is getting warmer and moving into summer doesn't help either.

[dentelle-noir.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I have problems with that world ALL the TIME! I'm dyslexic, and it really DOES look the same to me, so now I get paranoid! I'm the one who talks to you in msn, then goes "*Did I spell that right?! Tell me if I was right!" and it's kinda more annoying to others then the continued mis-spelling, but it shouldn't be! People just don’t care too much over spelling, and it’s not a good thing.

I have problems with rouge and rogue too, but I got over them with tricks. And your "finite" will help me SO MUCH, I mean it! If I can say to myself "find ‘finite’ in there" then I'll spell it right!

Well, good luck on the thesis! Too bad you couldn't do it on something like internet culture invading the verbal sphere.

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

I can totally see how it can be tricky with dyslexia (and all the bad examples out there don't help...). But I love you because you are aware of it and make an effort to correct stuff!! That's very cool. And I know we've talked before about how being a great writer is not dependent on being a good speller. I guess I'm just an advocate of knowing one's limitations and hooking up with editors, betas, etc., at least for stories that are going to be archived.

Glad the 'finite' thing helps you, though - it certainly keeps me on track when I'm tempted to stray. Sometimes it just takes a slight change in perspective. I used to have a problem with its vs. it's because the apostrophe is normally used for possessives, but then my (slightly exasperated) friend told me 'its' is a possessive pronoun, and you don't see an apostrophe in other ones like 'his' do you? Gulp. I sheepishly admitted she was right, and then never forgot it.

And, yeah, I've seen the rouge/rogue thing a bunch too. Very easy to do (but sometimes amusing to read when it's the wrong one, in certain circumstances - lots of rouge agents, which make me think of Mary Kay ladies with licenses to kill). Alas, I have no handy tips for that one. Not sure why it doesn't tick me off as much. Maybe because they are less common words so I give people a break. (Though I will admit to fighting the transformation of 'chaise longue' into 'chaise lounge' tooth and nail! Cuz one is a long chair and the other just... isn't!)

Thanks for the good thesis vibes. That does sound like an awesome topic. I often thought of going into linguistics, but then I decided it was even more useless than archaeology. ;P

Wow, sorry to ramble on so much... SO when do you take off for your new school??

[dentelle-noir.livejournal.com]

What I hate is seeing an peice that is riddled with errors. I have no problem with the occasional rouge/rogue problem here or there, or even some minor typos, but when I see a peice filled with them? I think: "Sloppy writer" and I lose a little respect for the work. Why would I want to read something that even the author didn't bother to read over?

But, yeah, I move at the end of August to start Teacher's Collage. I'm living with nuns! That's going to be cool actually, the place is BEAUTIFUL, right on the lake, an indoor heated pool, oh yeah. Nice digs for the nuns! I'm really nervous about it, but I'm MORE THEN READY to go, you know! Get to a GOOD school! I'm so sick of University of Windsor (we're acredited! Really! We just...suck) so I'm glad to be going to one of the best Teaching programs in Ontario!

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sloppy can be very disappointing in a writer. I definitely lose a little (or sometimes a lot) of enthusiasm for a writer's work when it feels like that just don't care that much about it.

Hooray for moving! Hooray for living with nuns! (I guess, if you say so... do have to get up at the crack of dawn every morning and go to chapel or anything?) And hoooray for good programs! It can make a world of difference - more enthusiasm and energy, one hopes. (Although you seem to have lots of that on your own!) Are you working over the summer before you go?

[dentelle-noir.livejournal.com]

It is hooray for moving, and no, there's no need to go to chapel or anything, I'm living in a place run by the nuns, but it's a seperate part of the building reserved for students that they rent out, and the profit from it goes to the church. Which means it's WAY cheeper then the Nipissing Dorms, and no 1st years partying all night when I have to go to placement the next day.

I'm working over the summer with the same job I've had for the last 2 years waitressing, although I am looking for another job with better tips ^.^

And yeah, I am really excited to go, ready to move on, you know?

Should I ask.... How's the thesis coming?

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

Cheaper is awesome. And no partying 1st years even better! I find as I get older that noise bothers me more and more. Maybe it's a control issue, but it drives me batty when I'm forced to listen to something I don't want to listen to.

Ahhhh, more waitressing. Good luck with finding better tips - may be tough in this economy!! (Although I don't know how things are for you folks up north.) Are you going to have to keep working at the new place?

Thesis is coming...slowly. sigh. But thanks for asking. Must buckle down. Can't believe the first week of June is almost over!!! AAARRRRGGGHHHH! Why can uberdom Trowa come stand behind me with a whip and make me work at least four hours a day... although that might give me more problems concentrating than I already have now....

[(Anonymous)]

I have the VERY SAME PROBLEM!!! with those words! And it is Bill Gates' fault!

Can we talk about then and than - because those get me every time and I KNOW the rule and I still do it!

PS: Miss you like crazy!!! Email me or call me once in a while - jeeze

- Edrie

[lukon-idein.livejournal.com]

Hey Babe! So good to hear from you! Thanks for checking in. (Sorry I've been such a email slack lately.)

I've been seeing the than/then thing a lot lately - don't know if it's on the increase, or I've just noticed it more. In my head they are pronounced differently so I don't mess them up as often, but I still do it occasionally, and there are other words that people claim are pronounced differently that sound the same to me (such as that whole ferry/fairy incident!). It would be interesting to study regional accents and their influence on spelling errors in those areas. Hmmmm. NO. Must study dead metal traders. Dammit. Why did I pick this again??

Miss you too!