So you thought Justin Bieber was annoying?
For those of us who make our living from writing, the evolution (or is it?) of spoken English does not bode well at all. Let us consider some of the annoying habits of modern spoken English.
1. The new, spoken quotation mark
The international trend to quote oneself in conversation is in itself somewhat odd. I seem to recall that paraphrasing was more common in the past (“I asked her what on earth she was thinking” or “She said that she had the right to express herself”). All that has changed. Today more and more people quote themselves in conversations and introduce their quotes with “like”. “I was like what on earth was she thinking? And Sue was like come on, she has the right to express herself too, you know”.
It started only with teenagers and school children. We of the older generation would hear it and shake our heads in disbelief. Very few of us bothered to stand up against it. How could we have known that this habit was going to spread at a rate that would make the viral spread of Gangnam Style look stationary?
I mean like who in his right mind would want to speak like that?
2. Getting personal
Do modern English speakers fear dehumanisation or rejection or why have we become so obsessed with emphasising our status as human beings? Why do people say things like “I personally don’t agree with that statement”? Could it be that “I don’t agree with that statement” does not sound strong enough? Well, then say “I strongly disagree”. Personally at best serves to illustrate that you want the listener to understand that this is your opinion. If you express the opinion, there is very little else to be concluded from it.
Perhaps better examples of this habit are illustrated in phrases such as “I am a person who values business ethics highly” or “She is a person who has been through a tough time in her life”. In both cases “a person who” adds absolutely nothing to meaning or content. Why then use it? As a matter of fact “I value business ethics highly” or “She has been through a tough time in her life” both are much stronger and unambiguous statements.
3. No problem
I always believed that a more meaningless word than “basically” will never come to haunt us, but this one is rapidly becoming an irritation of epidemic proportions. When I suggest to a waiter in a restaurant that I will order our food a little later, I do not want to hear “no problem”. It drives me up the walls. I couldn’t care less whether he has a problem with my request or not. Why can he or she not simply respond with something like “I will keep an eye on you table, Sir”.
Some even use it where there could not have been a problem by any stretch of the imagination. When I say to a volunteer of the SPCA that I wish to donate R1000.00 to her cause, I find it truly challenging to think of any reason whatsoever why she should respond with “No problem”.
4. Absolutely
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, we used to express agreement or affirmation in English with a short and clear “yes” or perhaps “certainly”. The answer to the question “Did you enjoy the wine?” used to be “Yes”, sometimes followed by a qualification, e.g. “Yes, it must be the best Chardonnay I had tasted in years”. But all that has changed. It has now become “Absolutely” or even “Yes, absolutely”. Worse still; the absolutely mostly goes with an exclamation mark.
Absolutely also has another use that is fast becoming a nightmare. She is not simply beautiful anymore; she is now absolutely beautiful. Her voice is absolutely unique. I’m absolutely fed-up with absolutely.
This is closely followed by “Very much so”. “Has the fullback had a good game on Saturday?” elicits responses such as “Absolutely” or “Very much so”, while both really mean “Yes”.
I will dedicate a future blog on the changes and trends that seem to be influencing written English as the World Wide Web expands its net and its influence.
For those of us who make our living from writing, the evolution (or is it?) of spoken English does not bode well at all. Let us consider some of the annoying habits of modern spoken English.
1. The new, spoken quotation mark
The international trend to quote oneself in conversation is in itself somewhat odd. I seem to recall that paraphrasing was more common in the past (“I asked her what on earth she was thinking” or “She said that she had the right to express herself”). All that has changed. Today more and more people quote themselves in conversations and introduce their quotes with “like”. “I was like what on earth was she thinking? And Sue was like come on, she has the right to express herself too, you know”.
It started only with teenagers and school children. We of the older generation would hear it and shake our heads in disbelief. Very few of us bothered to stand up against it. How could we have known that this habit was going to spread at a rate that would make the viral spread of Gangnam Style look stationary?
I mean like who in his right mind would want to speak like that?
2. Getting personal
Do modern English speakers fear dehumanisation or rejection or why have we become so obsessed with emphasising our status as human beings? Why do people say things like “I personally don’t agree with that statement”? Could it be that “I don’t agree with that statement” does not sound strong enough? Well, then say “I strongly disagree”. Personally at best serves to illustrate that you want the listener to understand that this is your opinion. If you express the opinion, there is very little else to be concluded from it.
Perhaps better examples of this habit are illustrated in phrases such as “I am a person who values business ethics highly” or “She is a person who has been through a tough time in her life”. In both cases “a person who” adds absolutely nothing to meaning or content. Why then use it? As a matter of fact “I value business ethics highly” or “She has been through a tough time in her life” both are much stronger and unambiguous statements.
3. No problem
I always believed that a more meaningless word than “basically” will never come to haunt us, but this one is rapidly becoming an irritation of epidemic proportions. When I suggest to a waiter in a restaurant that I will order our food a little later, I do not want to hear “no problem”. It drives me up the walls. I couldn’t care less whether he has a problem with my request or not. Why can he or she not simply respond with something like “I will keep an eye on you table, Sir”.
Some even use it where there could not have been a problem by any stretch of the imagination. When I say to a volunteer of the SPCA that I wish to donate R1000.00 to her cause, I find it truly challenging to think of any reason whatsoever why she should respond with “No problem”.
4. Absolutely
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, we used to express agreement or affirmation in English with a short and clear “yes” or perhaps “certainly”. The answer to the question “Did you enjoy the wine?” used to be “Yes”, sometimes followed by a qualification, e.g. “Yes, it must be the best Chardonnay I had tasted in years”. But all that has changed. It has now become “Absolutely” or even “Yes, absolutely”. Worse still; the absolutely mostly goes with an exclamation mark.
Absolutely also has another use that is fast becoming a nightmare. She is not simply beautiful anymore; she is now absolutely beautiful. Her voice is absolutely unique. I’m absolutely fed-up with absolutely.
This is closely followed by “Very much so”. “Has the fullback had a good game on Saturday?” elicits responses such as “Absolutely” or “Very much so”, while both really mean “Yes”.
I will dedicate a future blog on the changes and trends that seem to be influencing written English as the World Wide Web expands its net and its influence.
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