People who say irrigardless

[HazelBelleBlue]

Please tell me you're with me on this one. I work in customer service and i hear co-workers use this word. I have given up trying to tell them its not really a work and the cutomers they are saying to are laughing at them.

[BrainGlutton]

I have given up trying to tell them its not really a work . . .

"Jazzercize" is really a word. People can make up new ones, you know.

[Crazyhorse]

"Jazzercize" is really a word. People can make up new ones, you know.

Irregardless of what you say, it's true that it isn't a work.

[kaylasdad99]

"Jazzercize" is really a word. People can make up new ones, you know.
I think "jazzercise" is one of those words that's really just made up to be a trade name, like "grape-nuts," "band-aid," "kleenex," "rollerblades," or "tylenol."

[Ambivalid]

It's simple confusion, really. Irrespective and regardless are synonyms, so it's easy to put irr in front of regardless by mistake. And, since we are creatures of habit, it becomes a word.

[Crown Prince of Irony]

It's simple confusion, really. Irrespective and regardless are synonyms, so it's easy to put irr in front of regardless by mistake. And, since we are creatures of habit, it becomes a word.

It's funny, not 30 seconds before I read this thread, I saw a tech blog post that used "irrespective" and I instantly had a kneejerk reaction, because I so rarely see that word used. More often, I see blogs using the abomination "irregardless", and like the OP, this word drives me batshit.


Although this Pit thread gets a -1 on style. I'm far from the grammar police, but if you're going to post a pit thread about improper use of a word, please spell-check and capitalize thoroughly. Otherwise it just looks ironic in all the wrong ways.

[johnpost]

irregardless it's in the dictionary. irrigardless is how it might be pronounced or heard.

[pulykamell]

Although this Pit thread gets a -1 on style. I'm far from the grammar police, but if you're going to post a pit thread about improper use of a word, please spell-check and capitalize thoroughly. Otherwise it just looks ironic in all the wrong ways.

No kidding. I see no less than six spelling or grammar errors in the OP. I mean, there's Gaudere's law and all, but six errors in a post with under fifty words?

[Ann Onimous]

No kidding. I see no less than six spelling or grammar errors in the OP. I mean, there's Gaudere's law and all, but six errors in a post with under fifty words?

Inconceivable!

[BrainGlutton]

I think "jazzercise" is one of those words that's really just made up to be a trade name, like "grape-nuts," "band-aid," "kleenex," "rollerblades," or "tylenol."

Doesn't matter. "Escalator" and "zipper" were trade-names once, now they're just words.

[Captain Amazing]

Irregardless of what you say, it's true that it isn't a work.

Jazzercize can be a lot of work.

[jabiru]

At least 'jazzercise' makes sense. 'Irregardless' is meaningless.

[monstro]

"Irregardless" is a word. It's not a good word, but technically it is a word.

Once I caught myself saying this word while talking to a nitpicky co-worker and I saw him making a little check by my name in his brain. He's the type who constantly talks about how so-and-so doesn't talk well and how he heard, say, Anderson Cooper use a word incorrectly two weeks ago. Well, once I read something that this guy had written, expecting it to be Shakespearean in quality. It was the worse thing I've read in a long time...and that includes those horrible posts on yahoo! comments. And yet I still think the guy is intelligent. I don't know why he feels the need to judge people on a superficial thing like word choice when he's so bad at communication himself.

So yeah, I try to speak "right" and have worked to rid my speech of non-words like "conversate". But I'm not about to get my panties in a wad over stupid shit like this. Blame my right-brained mentality, but there just isn't enough time in the day for me to think about how someone is talking. What they say is more important to me.

(Now when it comes to being nitpicky, I'm not totally immune. It does grate when I hear someone say, "I'm on my menstrual cycle." Um...aren't all child-bearing women? I don't ever correct them, mind you, but it does make me shake my head inside.)

[Staggerlee]

"Irregardless" is a word. It's not a good word, but technically it is a word.
I'm with your colleague on this. 'Irregardless' doesn't make any sense - it's a double negative. Like saying "don't not pay regard". It shouldn't be considered a word any more than the belch of a mental defective.

[BigT]

I'm with your colleague on this. 'Irregardless' doesn't make any sense - it's a double negative. Like saying "don't not pay regard". It shouldn't be considered a word any more than the belch of a mental defective.

The thing is, it's not relevant that you don't think it's a word. It's not relevant that it doesn't make sense. Language rarely makes sense. If it's used and understood, it's a word. Whether it's formal or informal is another matter. But that's rarely the issue--people who get upset about this word tend to do so in informal contexts.

[madmonk28]

I have a co-worker that I like and respect and then one day she broke out irregardless and dropped a few steps on my esteem scale. It's possible to climb back up, but still..

[orcenio]

Please tell me you're with me on this one. I work in customer service and i hear co-workers use this word. I have given up trying to tell them its not really a work and the cutomers they are saying to are laughing at them.Inflammable (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inflammable) means flammable (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flammable)? What a country!

[M.Constant]

I've been know to use Irregardless in a valid context.

<loophole>
It's the name of a pretty nice cafe in Raleigh, NC: http://www.irregardless.com
</loophole>

Fun place, menu changes daily

[Revtim]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless
Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.(bolding mine)

At least it's still not considered to be in general acceptance; usually with this type of pit thread the word/usage being pitted ends up being in accepted use for a couple centuries. And then the OP never admits he or she is wrong, no matter what evidence is provided. Remember that thread about "loan" being used as a verb?

[D_Odds]

Irregardless barely shows up as a blip on my radar.

This, however, causes me to reach for the button that will launch nuclear missiles:
You could of at least acknowledged I asked you a question.

I was going to add emphasis, but if you can't figure it out, know that your location has just been added to the nuclear missile targeting database.

P.S. For those that don't yet know, if you want to see that quote in the original thread, click on the arrow

[John Mace]

HBB: You keep fighting the good fight, you cranky old language NAZI. Gotta say, I don't use it myself, but it has lodge itself into our lexicon for better or worse. It's not very unique in that way, either. Hopefully, the damage will stop there.

[not what you'd expect]

This word is a running joke in my house. We once heard Phil Donahue going off about it, so now we use when we are trying to be funny.

That and agreeance. I'm in agreeance with you! Something a girl I worked with used to say all the time.

[Rhythmdvl]

Holy shit, Jazzercize excaped the eighties?!

[XT]

I don't really mind 'irrigardless' (though I don't use that myself), but it seems that everyone is pronouncing especially (with a soft 's') as expecially these days (with a hard 'x'). Why is that? I never noticed a lot of people doing this before, but in the last few years it seems that everyone pronounces it that way now, and I actually get odd looks when I pronounce it what I presume is the correct way. :confused:

(Another, perhaps related word is ask, pronounced like axe)

-XT

[DianaG]

I blame espresso.

[Machine Elf]

misuse of written language in general grates on me. And unfortunately there's a lot of it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words) "Irregardless" isn't even on that list, and neither are many others, such as people writing about the breaks on their cars ("breaks" referring to the system of components used for deceleration).

The example highlighted (or not highlighted, as it were) by D_Odds is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Bridget Burke]

Well, I could care less....

[John Mace]

I blame espresso.

I blame it on expresso.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

I see no less than six spelling or grammar errors in the OP.

No fewer. ;)

Doesn't "irrigardless" have something to do with watering crops?

[Sparky812]

nevermind

[tdn]

Mmm, expresso. It's the penultimate coffee!

[Iggins]

I must be one of the few people who have never (or very rarely) heard this in person. Maybe my friends know that words have meaning? I've also only heard one or two people ever use "literally" incorrectly.

[pulykamell]

No fewer. ;)

Well, Gaudere gives me a mulligan for that one.

[Scuba_Ben]

And I'm sure you all know what common English word is always spelled incorrectly.
"incorrectly"

[Rigamarole]

NM, Biffy beat me to it.

[not what you'd expect]

I had a boss that constantly used honesty/honestly interchangeably.

In all honestly.

I wanted to kill her. Honesty I did.

[tdn]

I have a friend who constantly says pass instead of past.

[John Mace]

I had a boss that constantly used honesty/honestly interchangeably.

In all honestly.

I wanted to kill her. Honesty I did.

I want to kill people who use "that" instead of "who".

I have a friend who constantly says pass instead of past.
What's his heighth? Maybe you should reach acrossed and smack him.

[Onomatopoeia]

It's simple confusion, really. Irrespective and regardless are synonyms, so it's easy to put irr in front of regardless by mistake. And, since we are creatures of habit, it becomes a word.Somehow, I don't think many who would say 'irregardless' would ever have heard of the word 'irrespective'.

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

My job is connected to the public school system. I just this minute received a fax concerning a literacy program that had the word "literacy" misspelled.

[John Mace]

My job is connected to the public school system. I just this minute received a fax concerning a literacy program that had the word "literacy" misspelled.

I kan reed good. I jus kant spel me nuthin.

[Bosstone]

This, however, causes me to reach for the button that will launch nuclear missiles:


I was going to add emphasis, but if you can't figure it out, know that your location has just been added to the nuclear missile targeting database.

P.S. For those that don't yet know, if you want to see that quote in the original thread, click on the arrowThis drives me insane too, and what makes it especially infuriating is it appears to be a genuine currently-occurring shift in spoken language brought about by poor spelling.

Could have
-> Spoken as "could've"
-> Heard/written as "could of"
-> Read as "could of"
-> Spoken as "could of"

That is to say, I'm pretty sure there's a portion of the population now who say "could've" genuinely believing it's "could of," and that mistake informs their lexicon in subtle yet horrifying ways.

[Euphonious Polemic]

Irregardless is a perfectly cromulent word. I like it because it embiggens my vocabulary.

[Jas09]

Somehow, I don't think many who would say 'irregardless' would ever have heard of the word 'irrespective'.I certainly know 'irrespective', and still say 'irregardless' from time to time. I also say 'ain't', 'could of', 'might can', and any other number of incorrect phrases. It's not like anybody has any doubt what I mean. It's just vernacular, ya know? I don't write any of these (at least in formal writing), but wouldn't be surprised at all if it becomes more common in written English as time goes by.

Heh, apparently the Firefox spell-checker has irregardless in it.

[alice_in_wonderland]

It does grate when I hear someone say, "I'm on my menstrual cycle." Um...aren't all child-bearing women? I don't ever correct them, mind you, but it does make me shake my head inside.)

You obviously hang around a high-falutin', crudité eating, multi-colander owning crowd - around these parts women just say 'On the rag.'

I must admit, 'On my menstrual cycle." sounds a bit gentler, incorrectness notwithstanding.

[Yeticus Rex]

I have a friend who constantly says pass instead of past.

Next time he/she tries to say that, you better head'em off at the past.

[Onomatopoeia]

I certainly know 'irrespective', and still say 'irregardless' from time to time. I also say 'ain't', 'could of', 'might can', and any other number of incorrect phrases. It's not like anybody has any doubt what I mean. It's just vernacular, ya know? I don't write any of these (at least in formal writing), but wouldn't be surprised at all if it becomes more common in written English as time goes by.

Heh, apparently the Firefox spell-checker has irregardless in it.'Might can'?

[Wheelz]

Sometimes I feel like I'm drownding in poor language use.

[D_Odds]

That is to say, I'm pretty sure there's a portion of the population now who say "could've" genuinely believing it's "could of," and that mistake informs their lexicon in subtle yet horrifying ways.You could be right. It just means that whomever is writing it does not think, else they would realize that there is no way those two words can work together. Absent punctuation to separate sentences, clauses, or phrases, I can't think of any use where 'of' might follow "could" (would, should, might, etc.). Just as concerning is that this is somehow not addressed and stomped dead, dead, dead throughout schooling. I know my complaints to middle and high school teachers to more aggressively police grammar, even if just to point out errors instead of marking them down, fell on deaf ears. I've known a few teachers who could've use someone correcting their grammar.

I'm not perfect, but this error, when written, really makes me stabby.

[John Mace]

In all seriousness, language would be far less useful, less fun, and less of an art if it never changed or if rules weren't broken. As long as your intended audience understands you, who the fuck cares? You gotta let this stuff go. Language is an organic thing that can't be hemmed in or managed.

[Jas09]

'Might can'?Yeah, it's a particular construction my wife hates with a passion. Perhaps it's even proper in some circles, I dunno. An example:

Wife: Can you pick the baby up tomorrow after work?
Me: I might can.

ETA: A related expression is "might could".

[D_Odds]

In all seriousness, language would be far less useful, less fun, and less of an art if it never changed or if rules weren't broken. As long as your intended audience understands you, who the fuck cares? You gotta let this stuff go. Language is an organic thing that can't be hemmed in or managed.That is why 'irregardless' (which I will confess to erroneously using until it was pointed out to me that it was not a word...about 20 years ago) does not really set off my radar. Now we use google and tweet as verbs, the latter much different from a bird's sound. Language is fluid.

But 'could/should/would/might of' makes no sense. Using it means one does not understand the words being used.

[obfusciatrist]

I'm pretty far down the descriptivist end of the scale so it doesn't really bother me. So long as I understand you and it doesn't introduce unnecessary ambiguity I can't really find the energy to care.

But looking at this ngram showing (http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=irregardless&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=0&smoothing=3) the increase in irregardless it appears that like so many things we can blame it on the Depression.

And since the Depression was caused by that generation's 1%, through the transitive property of blame the increase is the fault of the 1%.

The Occupy Wall Street movement now has a clear goal: eliminate corporate influence on politics and get rid of irregardless.

[Bosstone]

Generally, meaning and language shift occurs within content words. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and so on. Function words, like prepositions and articles, do not change so readily. "Nice" meant something different a few hundred years ago than it does today, but "the" has stayed the same for a long, long time.

"Could of" is slowly replacing an auxiliary verb with a preposition. That's like insisting Word is a spreadsheet program. That's just not what it's for. It's not impossible for function words to change, but it is ridiculously unusual and understandably more subject to resistance than the usual type of language drift.

[Mewl Dear]

I friggin' hate disorientated.
I blame Gorilla Monsoon.

[jabiru]

Mmm, expresso. It's the penultimate coffee!

That's because it's so good, you just have to have another one.

[ballardfam]

I get annoyed with people who mix up 'imply' & 'infer'. More annoyed than is probably reasonable.

[emcee2k]

It's not that bad. I think you're all overexaggerating.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Sometimes I feel like I'm drownding in poor language use.

Me too, and it really flustrates me.


mmm

[Sitnam]

People saying 'borrow' when the mean 'lend' makes my skin crawl.

[not what you'd expect]

I want to kill people who use "that" instead of "who".



ooohhh. ouch. Guess you got me. :)

[applebetty]

Is that the affect you intended?

[Rysdad]

Your all on the wrong tract.

Two for the price of one.

[KarlGauss]

I'm disinterested in this topic. I don't mean to infer that I have anything against you personally, per say*, but I am still reticent to get involved.

*yes, I know, the spelling

[threeorange]

People saying 'borrow' when the mean 'lend' makes my skin crawl.

Those people need someone to learn them how to talk right.

[HazelBelleBlue]

I agree that there are larger problems with the world that I could be spending my time and energy on. However, in a call center, when you hear multiple people consistantly using horrible grammar, the small things add up quickly.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Those people need someone to learn them how to talk right.

Maybe they should go to the libary.


mmm

[pulykamell]

I agree that there are larger problems with the world that I could be spending my time and energy on. However, in a call center, when you hear multiple people consistantly using horrible grammar, the small things add up quickly.

*cough* "Consistently." *cough*

Whether you like it or not, irregardless is a word. I personally am not a big fan of that particular word, but it's alive and well and there's nothing we really can do about it. I think it can legitimately be defended as a portmanteau of "irrespective" and "regardless," if I'm being charitable, but language really doesn't need any defense. It is what it is.

[Ambivalid]

Yeah, technically it's a word but it's not like there is a ginormous percentage of the populace saying irregardless.

[pulykamell]

Yeah, technically it's a word but it's not like there is a ginormous percentage of the populace saying irregardless.

I hear it often enough that it simultaneously irritates me, while also conditioning me to eventually accept it.

Now, "penultimate" to mean "ultimate to the extreme" or something like that--that one pisses me off, since it's a perfectly good and useful word already, not some sort of neologism. I probably use "penultimate" and even "antepenultimate" way more than I should in conversation in order to keep the word on people's radars and remind them (in context) that it means "next to last" (or "next to next to last" in the case of antepenultimate). I'm surprised I haven't been punched in the face yet.

[digs]

Wife: Can you pick the baby up tomorrow after work?
Me: I might can.

Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Come with... what?
Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Yeah, I'm just loitering here, waiting for the end of that sentence...
Wife: Maybe I'll come with. Y'know, to get the baby.
Me: Oh, come with ME ... (smacks forehead)
Wife: Hey, Mom, you wanna come with?

[Ambivalid]

I hear it often enough that it simultaneously irritates me, while also conditioning me to eventually accept it.

Now, "penultimate" to mean "ultimate to the extreme" or something like that--that one pisses me off, since it's a perfectly good and useful word already, not some sort of neologism. I probably use "penultimate" and even "antepenultimate" way more than I should in conversation in order to keep the word on people's radars and remind them (in context) that it means "next to last" (or "next to next to last" in the case of antepenultimate). I'm surprised I haven't been punched in the face yet.

What about ginormous?

[Mangetout]

Maybe they should go to the libary.

That's pretty much the nucular option.

[BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed]

Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Come with... what?
Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Yeah, I'm just loitering here, waiting for the end of that sentence...
Wife: Maybe I'll come with. Y'know, to get the baby.
Me: Oh, come with ME ... (smacks forehead)
Wife: Hey, Mom, you wanna come with?

It seems like lots of folks are saying this anymore.

[pulykamell]

What about ginormous?

I consider it a perfectly good portmanteau word. It sounds slightly juvenile, but I like it fine.

As for "come with," that's pretty much standard local dialect here. I simply do not notice it at all as an odd construction.

[The Great Sun Jester]

It was the worse thing I've read Threads like this bug me because I never know if this kind of stuff is true form or just part of the running gag.

And for the record, I am one of those people who makes a mental check mark next to you're name when you utter the evil "irregardless." It doesn't close doors of opportunity to you, but it canmake them squeak a little.

However, "nucular" drives me right up the wall and makes me want to break things.

[Jas09]

I forgot the third part of the "might can"/"might could" trinity - "used to could".

Friend: "Can you run a half marathon"
Me: "I used to could" (generally pronounced "yustacould")

[Wheelz]

Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Come with... what?
Wife: Maybe I'll come with.
Me: Yeah, I'm just loitering here, waiting for the end of that sentence...
Wife: Maybe I'll come with. Y'know, to get the baby.
Me: Oh, come with ME ... (smacks forehead)
Wife: Hey, Mom, you wanna come with?This reminds me of a Halloween card saw at the store:

Woman 1: Where's the Halloween party at?
Woman 2: Don't end a sentence with a preposition.
Woman 1: Where's the Halloween party at, BITCH?

[Jas09]

I see a difference between misusing "penultimate" and using "irregardless".

Irregardless has a clear meaning now, and has no other possible meaning. Certainly nobody takes it to mean "with regard" after processing the double-negative.

Penultimate, however, has a perfectly good meaning and using it incorrectly can cause significant misunderstanding.

And "I'll come with" (which is not particularly popular here in St. Louis, AFAIK) seems perfectly grammatical to me - implied objects aren't forbidden in English and there is no chance of misunderstanding there.

[D_Odds]

As for "come with," that's pretty much standard local dialect here. I simply do not notice it at all as an odd construction.
I've never heard that. I will count my blessing (though they will still be in the negative numbers).

I've usually no problem with mashing up words like gigantic and enormous to get ginormous. Only the most anal retentive will get their bunch in a panties over shit like that.

[John Mace]

ooohhh. ouch. Guess you got me. :)

I could care less.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I could care less.

That's a whole nother topic.


mmm

[Machine Elf]

However, "nucular" drives me right up the wall and makes me want to break things.

Me too. Oddly enough though, the etymological root for nuclear/nucleus is the latin word "nucula," meaning little nut. So the people who pronounce it "nucular" are actually being more faithful to the origin of the word - though I doubt they're aware of that.

[pulykamell]

However, "nucular" drives me right up the wall and makes me want to break things.

Also, not that unusual around here. You learn to live with it. Even my brother, who knows the correct pronunciation, uses "nucular" in spontaneous speech. Not a biggie.

[Crazyhorse]

Me too. Oddly enough though, the etymological root for nuclear/nucleus is the latin word "nucula," meaning little nut. So the people who pronounce it "nucular" are actually being more faithful to the origin of the word - though I doubt they're aware of that.

I always thought one of the most famous people to use it was a little nut. But maybe I misunderestimated him.

[amanset]

The usage of "burglarize" make me want to hurt people. Or burgle them.

[Mangetout]

The usage of "burglarize" make me want to hurt people. Or burgle them.

Burglarize is in fact the correct word (I hate it too). Burgle is back-formed from burglar, not the other way around.

[Onomatopoeia]

I want to kill people who use "that" instead of "who".I don't want to physically accost them (yes, I know you were just kidding) but, yeah, the use of 'that' instead of 'who' when referring to people does grate.

[XT]

However, people who say 'mute' when they mean 'moot' are always fun! I love hearing someone say 'it's a mute point', and then look at me blankly when I start to go into my mime routine...

-XT

[obfusciatrist]

How is this thread still going. I was confident that by this point everybody would have agreed to set aside differences on this issue until such time as no person who says "sammich" is still breathing.

[Onomatopoeia]

"Irregardless" is a word. It's not a good word, but technically it is a word.My estimation of Bill Gates changed a little when he used 'irregardless' during an interview I heard on NPR. I was embarrassed for him as he was obviously oblivious of his mistake.Once I caught myself saying this word while talking to a nitpicky co-worker and I saw him making a little check by my name in his brain. He's the type who constantly talks about how so-and-so doesn't talk well and how he heard, say, Anderson Cooper use a word incorrectly two weeks ago. Well, once I read something that this guy had written, expecting it to be Shakespearean in quality. It was the worse thing I've read in a long time...Worst. Just sayin'... ;)

[Trans Fat Og]

"Irregardless" is a word. It's not a good word, but technically it is a word.

Once I caught myself saying this word while talking to a nitpicky co-worker and I saw him making a little check by my name in his brain. He's the type who constantly talks about how so-and-so doesn't talk well and how he heard, say, Anderson Cooper use a word incorrectly two weeks ago. Well, once I read something that this guy had written, expecting it to be Shakespearean in quality. It was the worse thing I've read in a long time...and that includes those horrible posts on yahoo! comments. And yet I still think the guy is intelligent. I don't know why he feels the need to judge people on a superficial thing like word choice when he's so bad at communication himself.

So yeah, I try to speak "right" and have worked to rid my speech of non-words like "conversate". But I'm not about to get my panties in a wad over stupid shit like this. Blame my right-brained mentality, but there just isn't enough time in the day for me to think about how someone is talking. What they say is more important to me.

(Now when it comes to being nitpicky, I'm not totally immune. It does grate when I hear someone say, "I'm on my menstrual cycle." Um...aren't all child-bearing women? I don't ever correct them, mind you, but it does make me shake my head inside.)

I'm with your colleague on this. 'Irregardless' doesn't make any sense - it's a double negative. Like saying "don't not pay regard". It shouldn't be considered a word any more than the belch of a mental defective.

The thing is, it's not relevant that you don't think it's a word. It's not relevant that it doesn't make sense. Language rarely makes sense. If it's used and understood, it's a word. Whether it's formal or informal is another matter. But that's rarely the issue--people who get upset about this word tend to do so in informal contexts.(Read through this. I am essntially in sympahy with the Op and Staggerlee. I'll eventually get to that.) I am not a precriptionist, at least, not anymore. I qualify as a descriptionist. I don't consider myself a purist, although I've been taken for one.

Language is a very human phenomenon, and constantly evolving. I tried to get this point across at a recent local Philosophy group meeting, without much sense of agreement in response.

---

HAVING SAID THAT,
I will be forthcoming and say that certain non-standard expressions are particularly grating to me. Irregardless of what other have said, and what I have just said, I must say that -- that -- UGGHH! -- word is near the top of my list, if not simply #1. As Staggerlee said, it's an example of double negative, but in a single word.

If in the postion of coaching people for job interviews, I would certainly point out to anyone I observed using it the necessity to stop.

[Onomatopoeia]

However, people who say 'mute' when they mean 'moot' are always fun! I love hearing someone say 'it's a mute point', and then look at me blankly when I start to go into my mime routine...

-XTI actually heard someone, in all seriousness, say "It's a moo point." I almost burst an artery trying to contain my laughter. :D

[Wheelz]

I actually heard someone, in all seriousness, say "It's a moo point." I almost burst an artery trying to contain my laughter. :DIt's like a cow's opinion. It doesn't mean anything. It's Moo.

[Trans Fat Og]

I could care less.

That's a whole nother topic.


mmmThis seems to me an example of people changing an expression without even thinking that they are doiing it.

OTOH, it makes perfect sense to use it with sarcastic intent. I could care less, just not very much. Or even "as if" I possibly could care less.

Just as "for sure" could either mean agreement, or a dismissive response, depending on the tone of voice used.

[Gangster Octopus]

Folks who use "irregardless" are total loosers.

[pulykamell]

This seems to me an example of people changing an expression without even thinking that they are doiing it.

OTOH, it makes perfect sense to use it with sarcastic intent. I could care less, just not very much. Or even "as if" I possibly could care less.


That's the linguist Stephen Pinker's take on it--that the phrase and its tone conveys sarcasm. I could care less about justifying the phrase--it doesn't matter. It's an idiom, a figure of speech. It doesn't have to make sense. Just like the pedantic twerps who insist that "literally" must be taken literally, and cannot be used as an intensifier or in a figurative manner. Yes, I've heard all the arguments before on why we must save the word literally from being used hyperbolically. I just strongly disagree.

[kaylasdad99]

This seems to me an example of people changing an expression without even thinking that they are doiing it.

OTOH, it makes perfect sense to use it with sarcastic intent. I could care less, just not very much. Or even "as if" I possibly could care less.
How does it work, though, to be able to care less? Wouldn't that necessarily involve making some sort of effort to care less? And wouldn't making such an effort necessarily imply some non-zero amount of caring? That leads to a paradox:

"I could care less, but in order to do so, I'd have to care more. Therefore -- " (head explodes)

Next time I hear someone tell me "I could care less," I think I'll say: "Oh, yeah? I DARE ya!"

[Gangster Octopus]

How does it work, though, to be able to care less? Wouldn't that necessarily involve making some sort of effort to care less? And wouldn't making such an effort necessarily imply some non-zero amount of caring? That leads to a paradox:

"I could care less, but in order to do so, I'd have to care more. Therefore -- " (head explodes)

Next time I hear someone tell me "I could care less," I think I'll say: "Oh, yeah? I DARE ya!"

I always took it to mean, I could care less if I hadn't used up all my lack of caring.

[kaylasdad99]

I always took it to mean, I could care less if I hadn't used up all my lack of caring.No, that's "I could HAVE cared less."

:p

[Bilbo1967]

I know many otherwise intelligent seeming colleagues who always say 'pacific' when they mean 'specific'. Also, 'That's a mute point' seems disappointingly common.

[Rachellelogram]

People who say irregardless don't get to bend my ear, regardless.

[obfusciatrist]

I always took it to mean, I could care less if I hadn't used up all my lack of caring.

I could care less [, technically, but it would be hard since I already care so little].

[Biffy the Elephant Shrew]

It's like a cow's opinion. It doesn't mean anything. It's Moo.

Does a cow have Buddha nature?

[Billy Baroo]

Ravel and unravel are synonyms.

[John Mace]

I don't want to physically accost them (yes, I know you were just kidding) but, yeah, the use of 'that' instead of 'who' when referring to people does grate.

As does using a transitive verb as if it were intransitive. ;)

Does a cow have Buddha nature?

If it did, that would be a mute point.

[Onomatopoeia]

As does using a transitive verb as if it were intransitive. ;)
Heh. I love this thread. :)

[XT]

Does a cow have Buddha nature?

Mu...

-XT

[Gangster Octopus]

Mu...

-XT

Psi

[The Great Sun Jester]

Psi
Mu Psi Phi?

Greek bovine tech fiction?

[John Mace]

Heh. I love this thread. :)

It is definitely something up with which I can put!

[Faruiza]

I don't count myself among the prescriptivists either. In fact, I embrace colloquialisms and "hep" speak in my own lexicon...but I will NEVER succumb to irregardless. I HATE it. My people will never use it in my presence. By "my people" I mean friends and family. Those in the know hate it as much as I do, and those who are not will be disparaged.

*Gatdamn. Is it prescriptivist or prescriptionist? Foo.

[kaylasdad99]

It's prescriptivist.

[Hazle Weatherfield]

I've been know to use Irregardless in a valid context.

<loophole>
It's the name of a pretty nice cafe in Raleigh, NC: http://www.irregardless.com
</loophole>

Fun place, menu changes daily

LOVE that place. Had the best Bloody Mary and breakfast there ever.

[amanset]

When I was studying Pure Maths at University, one of my lecturers couldn't pronounce "integer" (he did it with a hard "g"). He was a Brit and a Professor (a UK Professor, in that he was a senior at the University).

[Faruiza]

It's prescriptivist.

Thought so. Thank you!

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

Although this Pit thread gets a -1 on style. I'm far from the grammar police, but if you're going to post a pit thread about improper use of a word, please spell-check and capitalize thoroughly. Otherwise it just looks ironic in all the wrong ways.

Right! Just because a word doesn't exist doesn't mean there's not a correct way to spell it. :)