# The most horrific mangling of the English language my ears have ever heard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071 "2011-11-15T23:56:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/41 "2011-11-17T17:51:08Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > And how exactly do you distinguish between a plural “you” and a singular “you”, hmm? “Youse”, “y’all” and “you guys” are filling a niche in the language that has been empty since “thou” dropped out of common usage… In Western Penna. they also have “Yunz.” ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/42 "2011-11-17T17:54:34Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > In Western Penna. they also have “Yunz.” Oddly enough, in Cumberland Plateau north Alabama (the Cumberland Plateau also stretches up to Pennsylvania, so I wonder if there’s a geographical link), they say “yinz”. ---
**Author:** ![HotDogWater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/35a633/32.png) [@HotDogWater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HotDogWater)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/43 "2011-11-17T17:56:15Z")
“ey Maaark ow’s ur wickid ahm?” is how we say it in wusta ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/44 "2011-11-17T18:02:01Z")
> [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](#): > > Oh, here’s the required link to “How is Babby Formed?” www.somethingawful.com/flash/shmorky/babby.swf [The Pop Tart Tragedy](http://audioboo.fm/boos/490888-the-pop-tart-tragedy) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/45 "2011-11-17T18:11:47Z")
> [@HotDogWater](#): > > “ey Maaark ow’s ur wickid ahm?” > > is how we say it in wusta Wouldn’t it be more like “ey Maaark ow’s ur fuckin’ ahm?”, followed by “Wicked awesome!”? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/46 "2011-11-17T18:26:11Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > So waaaaaaaaaay back in the 60s when President Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country” he should actually have been saying _“Ask not what y’alls country can do for you guys, ask what youse can do for your guys’s country”_??? > > Yeah, I can see how much more eloquent that is… No, because he was speaking in a context where the distinction between singular and plural “you” was irrelevant - the phrase parses either way. Further, he was deliberately using a formal, rhetorical register of English. If he had been in a context where confusion could arise, he most likely would have used … something like “all of you”; he probably would think “youse” was low-class. But the very fact that words like “youse” and “y’all” and other words _are so widely used_ demonstrates that they serve a need. And in 300 years, “youse” very may well be formal, standard English; if we were having this discussion in the seventeenth century, you would be decrying those who say “you” to only one person, the cretinous slobs. > [@Ogre](#): > > Oddly enough, in Cumberland Plateau north Alabama (the Cumberland Plateau also stretches up to Pennsylvania, so I wonder if there’s a geographical link), they say “yinz”. I’ve heard the Pittsburgh/Western Pa. accent called “Yinzer”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/47 "2011-11-17T18:28:39Z")
I apologize for not agreeing with your preferences… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/48 "2011-11-17T18:29:36Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > if we were having this discussion in the seventeenth century, you would be decrying those who say “you” to only one person, the cretinous slobs. What’s the proper form? Thee? And speaking of PA, I still cringe when I hear “This shirt needs washed.” ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/49 "2011-11-17T18:33:47Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > I doubt any Dub would mangle the language so horribly… The correct form is ‘Where does the manager be?’ No, no, no. The correct form is “Where the manager be at?” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/50 "2011-11-17T18:42:51Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > …And speaking of PA, I still cringe when I hear “This shirt needs washed.” Oh, yeah. Or “needs washing,” “needs washing up,” or “needs worshing.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/51 "2011-11-17T18:49:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Oh, yeah. Or “needs washing,” “needs washing up,” or “needs worshing.” I don’t see anything wrong with “needs washing”, but I prefer “needs to be washed.” But I’ve never heard of “needs washed” until this year, and I can’t wrap my head around it. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/52 "2011-11-17T20:17:56Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > What’s the proper form? Thee? > > And speaking of PA, I still cringe when I hear “This shirt needs washed.” Ack that one gets me, too. One that gets me worse is using “whenever” instead of “when.” They’re not interchangeable! ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/53 "2011-11-17T20:32:41Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Oh, yeah. Or “needs washing,” “needs washing up,” or “needs worshing.” My grandma is from Iowa. The shirt needs worshed. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/54 "2011-11-17T20:39:55Z")
> [@FrancisCastle](#): > > My grandma is from Iowa. The shirt needs worshed. :mad: I am too. I still can’t shake the feeling that if they get worshed, they come out cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/55 "2011-11-17T21:01:08Z")
I also find it mildly annoying when people use “anymore” to mean “these days,” as in, “Gasoline is so expensive anymore.” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/56 "2011-11-17T21:03:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I also find it mildly annoying when people use “anymore” to mean “these days,” as in, “Gasoline is so expensive anymore.” Or worse, “yet.” This shirt needs worshed yet. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/57 "2011-11-17T21:33:46Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > . And in 300 years, “youse” very may well be formal, standard English; if we were having this discussion in the seventeenth century, you would be decrying those who say “you” to only one person, the cretinous slobs. Actually, they’d probably think we were all being extra polite- ‘you’ used to be used exactly the same as ‘Sie’ still is in German; as a form of address to either several people, or a social superior. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dorabella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@Dorabella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorabella)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/58 "2011-11-17T22:31:22Z")
Try this for almost unintelligible English. This was posted today on a modding site for a game (the Sims 3). okies i just started a new game i got most of all of his mods except the career one as i want to learn how to make my careers okies i just got two sims in the hottub i have a house full of 8 sims 4 girls and 4 guys okies two got in the hottub and made out using the makeout thingy okies they got the romantic interest lit up now okies with this going on if they wanted to persue another relationship the other will get jealous and all my sims will have hearts on them now how can i undo this huggies and thankies for all replies ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/59 "2011-11-17T22:41:00Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I apologize for not agreeing with your preferences… _You_ were the one who would behead all those who do not follow your linguistic ukases. So long as you admit that your preferences are only that, and not rules, I have no problem with you disliking “you guys”. Me, I grit my teeth whenever I hear “disinterested” as a synonym for “uninterested”. But language is the ultimate free market - if a new word or a grammatical structure fills a need for a lot of people, it becomes part of the language, and raging against it is mere sound and fury, signifying nothing (to quote a tireless crafter of neologisms). That’s how language works. > [@tdn](#): > > What’s the proper form? Thee? “Thou” in the subjective case (“Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”), “thee” in the objective ("Could I compare thee to a summer’s day?), “thy” in the possessive (“Hallowed be thy name”). > [@Filbert](#): > > Actually, they’d probably think we were all being extra polite- ‘you’ used to be used exactly the same as ‘Sie’ still is in German; as a form of address to either several people, or a social superior. 😛 Yes, you are exactly right. “Thou/thee/thy” was informal and intimate or familiar; it corresponded to “tu” in modern Spanish or Italian. That’s why the Quakers used them, in keeping with their preference for simplicity. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071/60 "2011-11-17T23:33:31Z")
> [@Dorabella](#): > > Try this for almost unintelligible English. This was posted today on a modding site for a game (the Sims 3). > > okies i just started a new game i got most of all of his mods except the career one as i want to learn how to make my careers okies i just got two sims in the hottub i have a house full of 8 sims 4 girls and 4 guys okies two got in the hottub and made out using the makeout thingy okies they got the romantic interest lit up now okies with this going on if they wanted to persue another relationship the other will get jealous and all my sims will have hearts on them now how can i undo this huggies and thankies for all replies Barfies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-horrific-mangling-of-the-english-language-my-ears-have-ever-heard/603071.md?page=4)