Using the wrong words....

jaytmon

BigMonka said:

jaytmon said:

I used to get students coming up to the IT Helpdesk sometimes, asking, "can I lend some headphones?" 
I took to responding, deadpan, "Lend them to who(m)?" Usually followed by a sarcastic, "Oh you mean borrow some headphones," pedantic twat that I was. Invariably I got a nonplussed look or at best an embarrassed grunt. Kept me amused though. Besides, they're in college to learn, right? 

As a southerner now living up north I hear things like that a lot (and lots of stories from my wife who's a teacher) - I'm not sure where the line is between something being grammatically incorrect and being part of a dialect. It gives me real conflict now I've got a daughter at a Yorkshire school!

I would say that just because it has become an adopted way of speaking doesn't make it 'correct'. Something I've heard locals here use is 'clen' instead of 'cleaned', as in, "I clen my windows last night." 

Also, "I'll be there now," meaning, "I've heard your request and I will attend to it imminently but I just need to finish my cup of tea/email/having a wank (in which case the reply, "just coming!" Is amusingly apt) etc." A Welsh thing I believe and one which I've (unknowingly) embraced. 

bingefeller

This is pretty interesting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multicultural_London_English

holnrew

bingefeller said:

BigMonka said:

A lot of people seem to think that the plural of "you" is "yous"   %-(  

Youse / yous is very common here.  "Yous 'uns"

Same here, and my ex's family did the lend/borrow thing. They didn't like correction, but how were they to learn if they don't get told they're wrong?

Geordies also call trousers, pants and pants, pants. Bit confusing. And they say bath properly (not like a south eastern bell), but then say mahster and plahster. I'd like some consistency.

Luckily I don't interact with any these days.

Branshen

Just had a quick Google and it's "bear in mind" not "bare in mind". I saw this a number of times on this forum and was starting to doubt myself. 

jaytmon

Branshen said:

Just had a quick Google and it's "bear in mind" not "bare in mind". I saw this a number of times on this forum and was starting to doubt myself. 

One is grizzly and the other happens when encountering attractive ladies...!

professorben

Flammable when they mean inflammable. 

HAL9000

professorben said:

Flammable when they mean inflammable. 

Not actually wrong - unfortunately both words mean the same. Flammable tends to be used nowadays as inflammable sounds like an opposite.

professorben

HAL9000 said:

professorben said:

Flammable when they mean inflammable. 

Not actually wrong - unfortunately both words mean the same. Flammable tends to be used nowadays as inflammable sounds like an opposite.

erm.......... Yeah. 

ChrisMusic

Input jack ~ on a guitar !

WTF are you plugging into your guitar then ?

The mains maybe?   ~  well it is an electric guitar I hear you say !


Go ahead punk, make my day !   ~   you'll only do that the once !



( It is an output jack, and for good reason, learn your signal path, play safe(ly) my friends     )

richardhomer

ChrisMusic said:

Input jack ~ on a guitar !

I once had a custom-ordered Suhr that had that very term on the build-sheet.

I was outraged....