(Mostly) outdated notions
I still distinguish between nauseous and nauseated, though Merriam-Webster doesn't anymore.
I still capitalize Bohemian and know decimation has a literal definition.
I'm disturbed that M-W's word of the year for 2007, as chosen by online voters, was w00t ... because it isn't even a word (yet).
However, as I hang my head in shame, I'll admit I've relaxed usage of Google from noun to verb form, though I maintain capitalization. Am I a bad grammarian?
posted by Kate at 7:54 AM
Copyright 2001-2009, L.K.C.S. It's MINE, all MINE. If you wanna use it, gimme credit and a link, okies? And don't run with scissors, because you're just going to poke somebody's eye out with that thing. No, really. 
5 Comments:
w00t? Seriously?
I looked it up on the search engine known as Google. It's a web site on the internet, AKA the World Wide Web.
I do lament nauseous and nauseated. That's just giving in to lazy people not caring that there's a difference.
I'm with you on trying to maintain standards, but of course language is prescriptive, not descriptive, and change must come. It's always been the unwashed masses who've made the most changes, but in this high-tech era the changes are coming fast and furious while spelling and the roots of etymology are discarded like last month's computer.
Is it bad that I refer to that search engine as The Google Machine?
People don't know there is a difference between "nauseated" and "nauseous"? I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.
Post a Comment
<< Home