WHAT is happening to the English language?
Why is it that “congrads” has become acceptable to offer congratulations? Why is “best if luck” the new way to wish someone the ‘best of luck’?
I know that there is a certain amount of abbreviated text speak that we use everyday: U/you, TY/thank you and the most annoying, “K” as a way of saying okay!
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Maybe it is the strict education I received from the Mercy nuns and teachers that has made me so pernickity about this topic, but I think the English language is something that needs to be saved from the modern age.
Your right yes? No! It’s you’re right. The amount of times that I have wanted to correct people on social media is kind of scary, as I think I would probably find myself ostracised.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not claiming to be some sort of genius of the English language but there are limits to my patience.
Every day I see something that makes me scream inside. Only last week I saw a poster offering ‘complementary tea/coffee’. Is the tea or coffee going to ‘complement’ my dress of choice that day.
Look, if you are going to go to the expense or bother of printing posters, then at least get it right. FYI (tongue in cheek), it’s ‘complimentary’.
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Recently someone sent me a text message and although the sender is over 40 years of age, it took me longer than I care to admit to decipher what he wrote.
Eventually I gave up and phoned him to get the full interpretation.
He laughed out loud – or should that be LOL’d – at my predicament. He suggested that I was getting old and was becoming uncool. I was never under any illusion that I was cool.
On a serious note, I feel sorry for teachers today. I can only imagine what some of the exam papers must look like and now, with the government’s suggestion of them correcting their own junior cert students, their job can only get worse.
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I would be very tempted to fail every student who used modern-day text-speak. Shakespeare must be turning in his grave. “My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break” – Merchant of Venice.
Hopefully there will be a turnaround and the English language will be saved, before it is doomed forever and I won’t be seen as a pedantic old woman.
Until next week,
Stay stylish!
Orlagh xx
pernickety