I Could Care Less

[Alien826]

It seems that "aks" (for "ask") is a black thing. I've heard black people that otherwise speak very correctly say it that way. Maybe it's matter of dialog rather than an error. (I'm open to correction).

I was taught at school that the plural of "trade union" should be "trades union". It always seemed wrong to me, as "trades union" suggests multiple trades within a single union, and that "trade unions" would be better. I just looked it up and there still seems to be disagreement.

I hated it when "different than" started taking over from "different from". I looked it up and it seems that "different than" has been around for a long time and both have been considered to be correct. I still hate it though, and never say it.

I always thought "old timers syndrome" was a joke.

Incidentally double negatives are not considered wrong in all languages. In some they are considered to be emphasis. An example from school. "You don't never want to turn a tap off too hard. Not a tap you don't. Not never".

 

[Secret Chief]

Is it, though? I attended the same language classes as others and observed others in school using incorrect grammar.

I think a lot has to do with how people speak at home. Many language skills are formed before a child even starts attending school.

Yeah I was just being silly. (Boys often are).

 

[Little Dragon]

I like to say, I could not give a monkey's toss. Such a lovely evocative phrase.

 

[SalixIncendium]

It seems that "aks" (for "ask") is a black thing. I've heard black people that otherwise speak very correctly say it that way. Maybe it's matter of dialog rather than an error. (I'm open to correction).

I'm glad you are open to correction.

“Aks” has origins in Old English and Germanic over a millennium ago, when it was a formal written form. In the first English Bible – the Coverdale Bible, from 1535 – Matthew 7:7 was written as “Axe and it shall be given you”, with royal approval.​

​

Beyond written English, “aks” was also the typical pronunciation in England’s south and in the Midlands. “Ask”, meanwhile, was more prevalent in the north and it is the latter that became the standard pronunciation.​

​

Ask or aks? How linguistic prejudice perpetuates inequality | Blog | University of Essex

Writing for The Conversation Dr Amanda Cole, Dr Ella Jeffries and Professor Peter Patrick explain how accent prejudice and linguicism is a reframing of prejudice towards low-status groups who, simply, speak differently

www.essex.ac.uk

 

[Father Heathen]

My wife is American, I'm Aussie and we confuse each other with these things at times. She says "could care less" and I say "couldn't care less". The most confusing though is "lucked out"... when she says it she means good luck but when I say it I mean bad luck.

"Could care less" is wrong even in America.

 

[Father Heathen]

 

[John53]

I like to say, I could not give a monkey's toss. Such a lovely evocative phrase.

How about 2 pulls of the dragons tail?

 

[Little Dragon]

How about 2 pulls of the dragons tail?

Pull my tail and I squeak in alarm and then emit a stream of silvery fire which can melt Tungsten.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

You can take it for granite, I have never misspoke like these fine examples of English...

 

[Secret Chief]

I did'n realise i speaks proper inglish...

Any of those phrases i use i use correctly. There's only a couple i don't use, in fact I've never heard them.

Same.
As for "expresso", I'd never patronise an establishment that advertised such, darling.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Same.
As for "expresso", I'd never patronise an establishment that advertised such, darling.

I'm not gonna lie. I thought for years that's what it was...a shot of coffee that you could pound down to get the same effect as a full cup of regular...an express caffeine delivery shot.

 

[Rival]

It seems that "aks" (for "ask") is a black thing. I've heard black people that otherwise speak very correctly say it that way. Maybe it's matter of dialog rather than an error. (I'm open to correction).

'Aks' is a Middle English (Chaucerian English) way of saying 'ask'.

It's interesting.

From Old English acsian (“ask”); see ax for more.

aks - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

en.wiktionary.org

 

[exchemist]

I could care less if people read this thread.

And other common phrases that are frequently said incorrectly. Are you guilty of any of these?

25 Common Phrases That You're Saying Wrong - LifeHack

You might be shocked by how many common phrases and words that you're saying incorrectly. Here's a list of the ones you might be saying wrong.

www.lifehack.org

The "hone in" one was very prevalent when I was in Houston. It drove me nuts.

I have from time to time come across "I could care less", which strikes me as amazingly ignorant, but not quite as amusingly thick as "irregardless", which I think was a George W Bushism, along with putting food on your family etc. Another great one of his was pronouncing "nuclear" as "nookular", I remember.

But the article misses one of the worst, "the proof is in the pudding", which makes no sense, instead of "the proof of the pudding is in the eating".

Incidentally the title of the article is grammatically wrong. You don't "say things wrong", you say them wrongly.

Here endeth the rant from the English usage Nazi.

 

[Stevicus]

Same.
As for "expresso", I'd never patronise an establishment that advertised such, darling.

I think that would be different since it's a foreign word. It's like chiding someone for saying the capital of Italy is "Rome" when, in fact, it's "Roma."

 

[Brickjectivity]

pusketty (spahgetti)
I scream (ice cream)

 

[ChristineM]

Same.
As for "expresso", I'd never patronise an establishment that advertised such, darling.

Much easier in France, an espresso is simply called a café. It's all the others that need fancy name's

 

[exchemist]

I think that would be different since it's a foreign word. It's like chiding someone for saying the capital of Italy is "Rome" when, in fact, it's "Roma."

Nah, it's just higgorance.

 

[Secret Chief]

Incidentally the title of the article is grammatically wrong. You don't "say things wrong", you say them wrongly.

Hey, I got that one first! Somewhat undermines the authority of the writer don't you know.

 

[Secret Chief]

I think that would be different since it's a foreign word. It's like chiding someone for saying the capital of Italy is "Rome" when, in fact, it's "Roma."

Er no, it's just wrong.
The fact that Florence is Firenze is irrelevant.

Oxford Dictionaries online states "The spelling "expresso" is not used in the original Italian and is strictly incorrect, although it is common." (in America).

 

[Secret Chief]

Much easier in France, an espresso is simply called a café. It's all the others that need fancy name's

Same in Italy of course. I imagine lots of tourists get served an espresso that they didn't want.