The Pedant's Revolt

[kerrensimmonds]

Unfortunately the 'aspiration' of the letter 'H' is all too prevalent. I am forever sitting through Boards where colleagues refer to 'Hhhhaitch Enn Dee' programmes.....

[Ajarn Philip]

I am forever suggesting to my team members that they should not use the word 'update' as a noun, despite the tendency for broadcasters and journalists to do so. I am sure that my colleagues consider me to be a mad old fogey.......because they continue to ignore/forget what I have said (or perhaps they don't even understand me, despite my reference to the OED), so I am forever correcting them. It drives me bonkers....

I'd give up if I were you, Kerren; all the dictionaries I use describe it as a noun as well as a verb.

I'm all for a bit of pedantry, but let's not forget it's a living language spoken in many different countries around the world and developing in many different ways; most of them probably not approved by the BBC's 1950 Grammar and Pronunciation department!

As for haspiraited haitches, 'oo could get their knickers in a twist over that?

'Appy New Year, One and Hall!

[midget]

I once heard a young girl tell a radio interviewer that she wanted to be "a hair 'ostess when I grow up"

[Jo]

My ex sister-in-law didn't do aitches for some reason (laziness and stupidity probably came into it, not that I'm biased). Before their wedding, years ago, she told us she had bought everything for the ceremony except she still had to get an at and an anbag. During the ceremony she promised to ave and to old. They lived in Hackthorn Road, and when she gave people her address, it was "Ackthorn Road, that's Ackthorn with an aitch".

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

I have just noticed,-----Yes, I am awake now ! That all of the Pedants on this Topic, appear to be OBs of a pre-1980 vintage (I use the word advisedly)
Does this mean that Pedantry died out in CH in the '70s -- or possibly before ?
This is serious stuff --- I refer you to my Topic on "Exeunt Traditions"
I do hope,(Without much confidence) that I will be corrected by a young Pedant on this Topic !

PEDANTRY MUST NEVER DIE
LIFT HIGH IT'S BANNER
LET IT FLY ! !

Who's a silly old F*rt ?

[Jo]

I was going to correct it but I don't qualify as a Young Pedant any more, so I will resist the temptation and leave it for someone more junior to me. Oops, there's another one

[sejintenej]

I have just noticed,-----Yes, I am awake now ! That all of the Pedants on this Topic, appear to be OBs of a pre-1980 vintage (I use the word advisedly)
Does this mean that Pedantry died out in CH in the '70s -- or possibly before ?
This is serious stuff --- I refer you to my Topic on "Exeunt Traditions"
I do hope,(Without much confidence) that I will be corrected by a young Pedant on this Topic !

I suspect that the 1970's were when eddicashun went down the plugole. Kids simply isn't tort proper english loike these days.

To give an example of current GCSE requirements I asked my 14 and 12 years old grand-daughters a few questions like:

"With what parts of the world would you associate Incas, Mayas, Afrikaaners, Laps".

The answer was that that is Geography and the Geography that they have to do for GCSE is the geography of Football stadiums (sic) Makes you wonder! JR - I think you are well qualified to teach Geography!
I should add that their Grandmother who comes from S Africa was present!

[jhopgood]

Reminds me of when I was at university in the late 60's and there was a teacher living in the downstairs flat.
She taught history at the local secondary mod, and the only thing the boys were interested in was football. As she had done the history of football umpteen times, what could she teach them next?
No thought of a syllabus as they were just waiting to leave at the end of the year.
She despaired.

[Angela Woodford]

New anti-obesity Government initiative - Change4Life.

I can't bear substituting "4" for "for". I can't bear it!

[Mid A 15]

New anti-obesity Government initiative - Change4Life.

I can't bear substituting "4" for "for". I can't bear it!

Agreed.

It all stems from accursed text language which I refuse to use on principle and my daughters and other relatives use all the more to wind me up

You would think that a Government would use language properly but this mob want to be seen as "down with the kids"

[midget]

The word of the moment seems to be DETERIATE, and if I hear one more "expert" say "a bacteria is......" I shall throw something at the wireless.

[Fjgrogan]

My pet hate is people who criticise other people's 'pronounciation' when the word is actually 'pronunciation' - particularly when it is done by broadcasters and others whose business is words. Once when one of my children was in junior school they had a sponsored spell with graded lists of words to learn. The 'top' list included the word 'mischievious' and the headteacher refused to believe me when I pointed out that it should actually be 'mischievous', until she checked in the dictionary. Unfortunately I cannot remember what they did about it. While I am being pedantic - I realise that in this type of forum there will be spelling mistakes, because they are usually actually typing errors - not everyone is a proficient typist!- however I have been surprised at how many Old Blues cannot distinguish between its and it's - now that's naughty!

[Angela Woodford]

You have reminded me, Frances - why do people say "mischeevious"?

Why can't we have heroines any more? Or hostesses? Kerry Katona, having been a hero mum who shops at Iceland, then becomes the host at her party...

I feel a bit scratchy at revealing this, but my mother disliked the title "mum". None of us tried to use it - it simply wouldn't have suited her. Much to my amazement, I disliked it too. None of my children have called me "mum".

My nieces however, having been Bristol children, call my sister "Merm".

[mvgrogan]

Nothing to do with pedantry but Angela reminded me of another OB of my era who always referred to her mother as "Little M". We always thought it was a sweet nickname until she revealed it was nothing to do with her size and actually stood for Little Maggot - no idea why

Mx

[Fjgrogan]

Does anyone remember Morag Harper - Sixes, tall, red hair and navy blue eyes? She used to tell a tale of her younger sister who had asked her mother if she could call her by her Christian name. She was so shocked when her mother said yes that she never actually did so! Whatever happened to Morag? She was 6:12 - as was my daughter (see above) many years later.