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> Unless - IMO - you want to sound like a snob... Really? I think it's the opposite. One does things like this because one is afraid of being assailed by pedan
by DFHippie 2y ago
> Unless - IMO - you want to sound like a snob...
Really? I think it's the opposite. One does things like this because one is afraid of being assailed by pedants and made to feel inferior. This is why, I think, I hear people, mostly British, say things like "to so-and-so and I". They're afraid to use the wrong form or the pronoun and be scolded, so they overcorrect.
And about this:
> in general language evolves to have simpler rules with fewer exceptions rather than the other way around.
I don't think that's generally true. Rather, language changes in many ways, but one of them is the accumulation of exceptions to a formerly simple system. This gives us the complex paradigms of "be" and "go", for example.
- ilitirit 2y ago> One does things like this because one is afraid of being assailed by pedants and made to feel inferior. Do you pronounce "tortoise" like "bourgeoise" because you don't want to sound inferior? I jest, but it's like your argument is making my case for me. Replace "snob" with "pedant" to see what I mean.
- smrq 2y agoI enjoy intentionally mispronouncing words to my fiancee, and this one is definitely going into the rotation, so thank you for that! (Now, to figure out how to get "tortoise" into casual conversation.)
- mauvehaus 2y agoOne of the comediennes on Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me delightfully pronounced tortoise TOR-toys. Apparently she'd never heard it spoken aloud before.