Internet grammar?

[Dr.]

Please bear with me, as I said. I need simple rules here lol

Well: As a conjunction…

“You wait here while I go for help.” Or: “You wait here whilst I go for help.”

In these examples, both “while” and “whilst” are grammatically correct and interchangeable. However (and as previously mentioned) using “whilst” might be considered a bit affected and archaic (old fashioned).

As a noun…

“If you’re tired, we can rest for a while.”

Here, only “while” is correct. You cannot “rest for a whilst.”

As a verb…

“♫ I would while away the hours, conferring with the flowers…♫” — Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz

Here, “while (away)” means to pass the time in a pleasant manner. But, again, “whilst” is not a substitute. You cannot “whilst away the hours.”



Or — "simple rule" — never use "whilst."

 

[InCali]

Or — "simple rule" — never use "whilst."

Unless you’re on a J.R.R. Tolkien thread, trying to make a point, or just wanna sound like you are being pompous. Lol

 

[Dr.]

Example of the infamous "greengrocers' apostrophe."

 

[Dr.]

Merriam-Webster Word of the Year for 2022: gaslighting

Word of the Year 2022 | Gaslighting | Merriam-Webster

Defined as: psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator...

The term comes from the title of a 1938 play and the movie based on that play, the plot of which involves a man attempting to make his wife believe that she is going insane. His mysterious activities in the attic cause the house’s gas lights to dim, but he insists to his wife that the lights are not dimming and that she can’t trust her own perceptions.

 

[Dark Raven]

Don't know why it's only a 2022 word of the year since it has been around for a long time.

Many of the Mission Impossible TV series episodes used gaslighting against the villains to drive them insane.

 

[Dr.]

Don't know why it's only a 2022 word of the year since it has been around for a long time.

Many of the Mission Impossible TV series episodes used gaslighting against the villains to drive them insane.

To be sure, this sort of psychological deception and manipulation has been around forever. But the “gaslight” label is (obviously) no older the play/movie of that name. Apparently, some usage has been found in the 1950s/60s. But it was rare. And even then, the reference often had to be explained as a “Gaslight situation” or “like that movie, Gaslight.” It was only in the 1990s and into the 2000s that (lower case) “gaslight” became common as a verb (or gerund: “gaslighting”). And it really took off thanks to D. Trump.

 

[Dr.]

 

[Dr.]

 

[Dr.]

Words that don’t mean what they sound like…


Pulchritude: a harsh sounding word that seems to connote something nasty or disgusting. But it actually means beautiful (particularly as regards female beauty). “Beyoncé is a woman of great pulchritude.”

Nonplussed: means perplexed or confused — even to the point of speechlessness or inaction. But most take it to mean the opposite: calm, stoic, unperturbed, unfazed. Indeed, many dictionaries include the latter as an alternate definition.

Enormity: means ghastly, hideous or wicked. So not, technically, a synonym of “enormousness.” Occasionally, the conflation works. As in “the enormity of the Holocaust” — which seems to convey both evil and scope of evilness. However, one should not say “I was awestruck by the enormity of the Grand Canyon. (The Grand Canyon isn’t ghastly or wicked.)

Fulsome: This one is tricky. Often, it’s used to mean full, abundant or well developed. Thus, one might describe the opera star as having a fulsome voice. But it also means effusive, excessive or insincere. So beware when someone offers you a “fulsome apology.” It could be a true expression of regret. Or it could be a sarcastic non-apology.

 

[Dr.]

I have a minor issue that I would like to address. There is a consistent use of abbreviations in writing. While I am familiar with common acronyms such as MCU for Marvel Cinematic Universe, I find it challenging to decipher less frequently used abbreviations like AoU. It requires me to pause and figure out the acronym's meaning. In the case of AoU, it stands for Avengers: Age of Ultron. I understand that it is not my place to dictate how others should write, but our writing reflects who we are and our level of clarity in communication.

Communities of experts often speak in jargon and use acronyms. And I suppose many of us around here could be considered “experts” in pop culture (movies, TV, comics, superheroes, etc.). Since I’m more of a Superman guy, I know about STM, SII, SR, MOS, BvS and so on. But if the conversation is about Marvel or Disney, it’ll take me a while to figure out something like ITMOM or BATB.

FWIW, I don't mind looking up and learning about new acronyms.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I have a minor issue that I would like to address. There is a consistent use of abbreviations in writing. While I am familiar with common acronyms such as MCU for Marvel Cinematic Universe, I find it challenging to decipher less frequently used abbreviations like AoU. It requires me to pause and figure out the acronym's meaning. In the case of AoU, it stands for Avengers: Age of Ultron. I understand that it is not my place to dictate how others should write, but our writing reflects who we are and our level of clarity in communication.

It's a form of shorthand amongst members of a defined community. These acronyms reflect that and that we're all broadly on the same wavelength (even though opinions on various comics, films, etc, vary widely). Context will often help. If you're unsure, you can always ask. As a DC guy I can say some of those you'll come across a lot are,

MOS - Man of Steel
BvS - Batman v Superman
WW - Wonder Woman
GL - Green Lantern
JL - Justice League
ZSJL - Zack Snyder's Justice League
SS - Suicide Squad
TSS - The Suicide Squad
BB - Batman Begins
TDK - The Dark Knight
TDKR - The Dark Knight Rises
TB - The Batman
TF - The Flash
DCAU - DC Animated Universe
BTAS - Batman: The Animated Seris
STAS = Superman: The Animated Series

But as I say, if you're unsure, just ask.

 

[Dr.]

In linguistics, metathesis refers to the transposition of letters or syllables in words — which result in misspellings or mispronunciations. Famous examples include:

“nucular” (nuclear)

“asteriks” (asterisk)

“perscription” (prescription)

and the classic…

“pisketti” (spaghetti)


But metathesis is a process, rather than (necessarily) a mistake. In old English, apparently, the name for a stinging insect was “waps.” Over time, however, this got transmuted to “wasp.” Now, the latter is the standard spelling and pronunciation; and the original is the “mistake.”

Another: Oprah Winfrey was named after an Old Testament character called Orpah. But everyone misread or misheard the birth certificate name. So she became Oprah.

:nerdy:

 

[Dark Raven]

In linguistics, metathesis refers to the transposition of letters or syllables in words — which result in misspellings or mispronunciations. Famous examples include:

“nucular” (nuclear)

“asteriks” (asterisk)

“perscription” (prescription)

and the classic…

“pisketti” (spaghetti)


But metathesis is a process, rather than (necessarily) a mistake. In old English, apparently, the name for a stinging insect was “waps.” Over time, however, this got transmuted to “wasp.” Now, the latter is the standard spelling and pronunciation; and the original is the “mistake.”

Another: Oprah Winfrey was named after an Old Testament character called Orpah. But everyone misread or misheard the birth certificate name. So she became Oprah.

:nerdy:

Instead of "ask", some people say "axe" (US) or "arks" (British). Like:

"Why don't you wait until you're axe?"
"So why don't you arks me?"

I find that annoying.

 

[Dr.]

Instead of "ask", some people say "axe" (US) or "arks" (British). Like:

"Why don't you wait until you're axe?"
"So why don't you arks me?"

I find that annoying.

Yeah, “ask/aks” is maybe the most famous specimen of metathesis. But many linguists would say it comes from alternative dialects of English — as opposed to being a mistake which indicates ignorance or poor education. And of course, a certain element of racial bias may come into play inasmuch as “aks” is often (though definitely not always) associated with so-called AAVE (African American Vernacular English). In that regard, one linguist noted that among reasonably well educated (or even highly educated) English speakers, “asked” is often pronounced as “assed.” I.e., there’s no discernable “k’ sound in their spoken version of the word. So that then raises the question: why should one pronunciation (“aks”) be stigmatized while the other (“assed”) is not?

 

[squeekness]

I've never heard anyone use "assed " like that. But "axed " I have. It bugs me though I would never complain to anyone who did. I don't want to be a Karen.

 

[Dr.]

I've never heard anyone use "assed " like that. But "axed " I have. It bugs me though I would never complain to anyone who did. I don't want to be a Karen.

Linguists have something called the “citation form” of pronunciation. Basically, this is what the dictionary uses — and it assumes a slow and careful pronunciation. But in common speech, words are spoken faster and juxtaposed with other words and sounds (often resulting in blending or elision). So depending on the context, “common pronunciation” may be different from “citation form pronunciation.”

Anyhoo… Some experts say that “ask” is one of those context-dependent words. Allegedly, “ask” followed by a consonant word is pronounced “ass” — without a “k” sound. E.g., “Ass them to do it.” Whereas, “ask” followed by a vowel word is pronounced “ask” — with the “k” sound. E.g., “Ask if they’ll do it.”

Now, I’m a tad skeptical about this. In some of the audio examples I’ve heard, the distinction is quite apparent. But the speaker is usually British. So I’m more inclined towards a British/American difference rather than assuming a universal rule. (As far as I’m aware, I pronounce “ask” with a “k” sound in all cases. But maybe I’ve been wrong all these years. :concern

 

[Dark Raven]

Linguists have something called the “citation form” of pronunciation. Basically, this is what the dictionary uses — and it assumes a slow and careful pronunciation. But in common speech, words are spoken faster and juxtaposed with other words and sounds (often resulting in blending or elision). So depending on the context, “common pronunciation” may be different from “citation form pronunciation.”

Anyhoo… Some experts say that “ask” is one of those context-dependent words. Allegedly, “ask” followed by a consonant word is pronounced “ass” — without a “k” sound. E.g., “Ass them to do it.” Whereas, “ask” followed by a vowel word is pronounced “ask” — with the “k” sound. E.g., “Ask if they’ll do it.”

Now, I’m a tad skeptical about this. In some of the audio examples I’ve heard, the distinction is quite apparent. But the speaker is usually British. So I’m more inclined towards a British/American difference rather than assuming a universal rule. (As far as I’m aware, I pronounce “ask” with a “k” sound in all cases. But maybe I’ve been wrong all these years. :concern

I'm British and I've never heard anyone say they'll arse someone to do something. I always pronounce the word with a k.

 

[Dr.]

I'm British and I've never heard anyone say they'll arse someone to do something. I always pronounce the word with a k.

To my ear, “ass/assed” is more noticeable with a British accent. But one fellow on Youtube assembled a cute montage of speakers — many American — who use the same pronunciation. And, curiously it can go the other way too. E.g., when some folks use the expression, “I can’t be assed/arsed” (meaning “I can’t be bothered”), it definitely sounds like “I can’t be asked.” Which, when taken literally, doesn’t really make sense.

…

One explanation I read: Typically, the word “asked” is pronounced as one syllable, not two. We don’t say “ask-ED.” Thus, we attempt to blend “a” + an “skt” sound (no “e” and the “d” becomes a “t”) to form that single syllable. But three consonants in a row is tricky. So the “k” tends to get dropped, leaving “ast.” And “ast” sounds identical to “assed.”

 

[Dr.]

Merriam-Webster 2023 word of the year: authentic

Authentic: Merriam-Webster's word of the year

The dictionary says more people than ever searched for it in 2023, looking for what is real

www.bbc.com

Oxford English Dictionary 2023 word of the year: rizz

Rizz named word of the year 2023 by Oxford University Press

Slang word for charisma beat "Swiftie" and "situationship" in Oxford dictionary award.

www.bbc.com

 

[blueharvest]

Never heard of "situationship" before.

 

[ComicChick]

ive only heard it used in regard to will smith and his jada drama. i've never heard it otherwise

 

[Dark Raven]

I've heard of situationship before, and Rizz only in relation to Rizz Ahmed. I'm guessing Swiftie is Taylor Swift's new nickname?

 

[ComicChick]

it's the name of her fanbase

 

[Dr.]

Seasonal word trivia.

In Christmas Nativity Scenes, manger is often assumed to be a synonym for stable or barn — the structure in which Jesus was born “because there was no room for them in the inn.” Actually, many scholars assume Jesus was born in a house that belonged to family/friends of either Joseph or Mary. But in any case, manger isn’t a building. It’s a feeding trough for animals which, apparently, can be repurposed as a makeshift crib. So while baby Jesus could have been “laid in a manger,” the rest of the Nativity tableaux (Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, animals, etc.) isn’t in there with him. They’d be gathered around the manger.

 

[Dr.]

Would-be grammar pedants set their sights on Taylor Swift.

Tortured Poets’ or Poets? Taylor Swift Meets the Apostrophe Police. (Published 2024)

Grammarians wonder: Should there be an apostrophe in “The Tortured Poets Department”?

www.nytimes.com

(note: paywalled)

Swift recently announced the name of her upcoming album: The Tortured Poets Department. But apostrophe sticklers were quick to point out a problem. Poets needs an apostrophe to indicate possessive. It could be poet’s — to denote a single bard; or it could be poets’ — for a group of them. But one way or another, an apostrophe is required. Swift made a punctuation usage error.

Or did she?

Expert grammarians chimed in and explained that, in many cases, possessive nouns can be replaced by attributive nouns. Attributive nouns act like adjectives and require no apostrophe. Thus, you may have something like Writers Room. The room doesn’t belong to particular writers; “writers” describes the type of room. And by the same token, The Tortured Poets Department (attributive — no apostrophe needed) is perfectly fine.

Once again, Taylor Swift prevails!