Diving into evening work, hopefully with something to show for it for you folks soon.
Question before I go:
We all have grammatical gripes... but what's a grammatical "error" that you find pretty darned cute or satisfying, even if you wouldn't use it yourself?
I heard someone say "on accident" today, and to me it just sounded adorable. Maybe because it's nonstandard usage unwittingly used *by* accident around that same phrase?
What linguistic bastard child is *your* cutie-patootie of choice?
@danielbsmith @cmskiera @MLClark it was perfect. ๐
๐ Oh, but that's such a perfect error! The word itself "runneth over", long past where it's supposed to stop in that verb tense. Someone forgot to slam on their linguistic breaks, and now we're not just reporting on a hit and run; we're replaying it, too!
@MLClark English isnโt their first language so I thought it was cuteโฆ
This isn't grammatical, but it's always intrigued me that everywhere in America, people stand IN line, except for New York City, where they stand ON line.
Ooo! I wonder if that has anything to do with all the immigrant history in that city. Many European languages have one word that replaces English's separate uses of "in" and "on". Possibly this NY usage is an artifact of cultural fusion?
@MLClark I love how in the USA people say they're going to "The hospital" as if there's only the one! ๐คฃ
๐ฌ I mean, maybe only one in the vicinity that's covered by their insurance...? If that?!
But we say this in Canada, too, so who the heck knows, eh?
@MLClark In the UK, it is simply "I had to go to hospital." If there's more than one locally, we would ask "Which one?"
@MLClark
Also, "Horseback riding".
Which other part of the horse were you planning to sit upon?
Here, it's just horse riding.
If you're in a cart or carriage, you're driving not riding.
But it's so sweet it's impossible to be upset by it.
It does have a poetry to it in that longer form, doesn't it? :)
But you've struck upon a real mystery, apparently! No one knows why the New World went one way with the term, while the Old World stayed the course.
Possibly two terms just "melded" in common usage over time, even if they don't make as much sense as one.
Either way, at least this merger's not as bad as "irregardless" (shudder).
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2006/11/why-do-americans-say-horseback-riding.html
@stueytheround Going "to hospital" sounds weird to us. But we say someone goes "to prison." @MLClark
@MLClark
I was once talking to someone who said how beautiful it was at her friend's funeral when his son gave the urology.
๐ฌ And here I assumed they saved such things for the wake - because if a body doesn't wake up for *that* sort of exam, they really must be gone!
(I will say, though, that far too many diseases have beautiful names that would've been great for flowers or children's names. "Oh Chlamydia...!")
I *adore* false friends when francophones speak English. I really find them charming.
My friend, she is very sympathetic! (nice)
Today, we are September 16.
I had a rendez-vous at my doctor.
I assisted at a concert yesterday!
Assisted comes up in Spanish, too!
English people have to be careful not to be "embarazada" when learning Spanish: there's a huge difference being embarrassed and being pregnant! ๐
I also adore that in Spanish you don't "spend" time with friends or family: you pass it, or share it--though I have to ruin this one for my students.
Students are also shocked to learn that "molestar" shouldn't be translated to "molest". Over 5 years for me, & I *still* struggle to use molestar for bother!
@MLClark ๐ Yeah, there's a whole list of false friends you have to really watch out for in every language! (Je me sens mal doesn't mean I smell bad!) But bilinguals often become so comfortable with both, they cease to fully distinguish between one language and the other and voilร ! what was once an error is now just part of the language!
@MLClark Sometimes when discussing cantilevered structural steel members at work, I'll call them "poker-outers". I get funny looks and smiles, but the meaning is usually pretty clear.
@MLClark I love non standard language in general to break small talk and get through to people, but aside from my dated colloquialisms a few southernisms are a part of my normal lingo.
The one I can never get away from is "fixin"
I'm fixin to do do this, or that, etc...
And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't include "That toads the wet sprocket!"
@MLClark One I use myself, and I don't know where I picked it up, is "needs done" (as opposed to "needs to be done"). I think it's more common in the upper Midwest US.
@MLClark I used to be particular about grammar.
The first thing that comes to mind is when native people I know say Runned Over. As in He got runned over by a reindeer.