Do you, in everyday life, care that some things you or others say are

[qnr]

not technically correct? I'll say for the sake of argument that you know there are certain situations where you have to be precise, but generally, regarding things along the lines of:

• A spider is not an insect


• It's not the 'Congressional' Medal of Honor


• A peanut isn't a nut


• A tomato isn't a vegetable

Which category would you choose?

[wildhorses]

1. at work I deal with so much detail and technical jargon

and precise lingo that in my everyday life I like to play around with words and have fun with them. Stress relief I guess you could call it. I understand that at times it is required but, for me, life is too short to sweat the small stuff and when you think about it most of it is pretty damn small stuff:hug::hi:

[qnr]

2. Yeah, I've always been a fan of experimentation, so I like flexibily.

However, I do know that the differences are there for a reason, and words should be used properly when appropriate.

[wildhorses]

3. and you know me...

I ALWAYS try to be appropriate:P

[qnr]

4. oh, of course, of course.

<nod>
indubitably
yup.

[reyd reid reed]

5. There's a difference between using a word creatively

and using it ignorantly, and the difference is generally pretty obvious.

I know someone who ALWAYS complains about the 'A's on report cards in classes like gym and band and art...

"Those don't really count, because those are fundamentals. Everyone gets an A in gym." (which is also not true but that's a whole 'nuther rant...)

Makes me cringe. Like fingernails on a chalkboard (and he actually argues with me when I try and gently explain the difference).

But...if someone were to tell me that baseball is a Fun-damental part of summer, I'd have no argument.


Playing with language is fun...and I love to do it. But you've gotta know the rules before you can break 'em.

[qnr]

6. That's a good point. Or at least be willing to learn them after you make

a mistake and it is brought to your attention.

[reyd reid reed]

8. People who won't learn after a mistake is brought to their attention

are the worst of all.

We don't Even want to go there.

:mad:

[qnr]

9. Yes, best not to. I know a few quite well. Anyway, night! n/t

[wildhorses]

7. I concur. 3r

:applause:

[RoyGBiv]

10. Certain things drive me insane ...

It's a flaw, I think, in some cases on the order of a "you have to pick your battles" sort of thing. I sometimes don't pick my battles well and obsess about correct usage in circumstances where no one else really cares, and my obsession simply distracts.

The "Congressional" Medal of Honor is one of those that irks me. I don't know why exactly, just some random bit of irritation that erupts because of all the research I've personally done into certain Medal of Honor recipients. Deep down, though, I don't consider this one of those important things.

On the other end, the difference between a "hacker" and a "cracker" drives me nuts. I just posted elsewhere on this, actually. I *hate* the fact the word "hacker" has come to be used as a term describing both those who "hack" away at code and those whose intent is malicious.

I do think language should be considered flexible for the simple reason that language *is* flexible. But words have meaning, and when it gets to the point that words are used in such a way that the meaning is perverted (as with the "hacker" vs. "cracker" thing), I become truly irritated.

OnEdit: And just to add a level of controversy to this you probably didn't intend (sorry) I can become apoplectic at those who misuse the term "Confederate Flag" because the vast majority of people who use that term don't even know what the "Confederate Flag" actually is or looks like. They mean "Confederate Naval Jack." They say "battle flag" or "Confederate flag" as though the two terms are equivalent when what they're actually referring to isn't either.

[qnr]

13. I'm on a PDA, so this will be short.

I agree about the Medal of Honor, which is really where this poll originated, watching an ad for a new Eastwood movie, where they use 'Congressional' - it has always annoyed me for some reason.

As far as 'hacker' goes, I feel the same way. I spent too many years learning my 8-bit Ataris iside & out.

I can see your point about the Confederate Naval Jack, but that one is so ingrained in peoples minds that it's almost a hopeless situation.

[RoyGBiv]

16. True ...

But the "Congressional" Medal of Honor is, imo, similarly ingrained.

Funny thing. I know where the improper associate of the Naval Jack originates, but the only thing I can think of with regard to the Medal of Honor is the manner in which the the Presidents presents the medal when it is given, i.e. the words he uses. But it had to have been popularized in some way at some point for it to become such a common usage among the general populace, and I don't know when that took place.

<virtual pause>

I guess I could look in my own back yard, so to speak. Seems the origination of the medal during the Civil War probably has a lot to do with it.

[qnr]

23. Yes, though it seems that dropping a word would be easier than a brief

course in vexillology, but that might just be a personal bias.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

32. If it's not congressional...What is it?

You guys keep saying it's not the congressional metal of honor, yet you fail to say what it is. You really shouldn't do that. :evilgrin:
Duckie

[qnr]

33. Just Medal of Honor. Kind of like saying "The New York Empire State

Building"

[Heidi]

11. Nah, not so much. (nt)

[qnr]

15. Same here, with a few exceptions

:hi:

[MnFats]

12. yes, and the tv ads for 'flags of our fathers' the new Clint ...

...eastwood flick about the battle for Iwo Jima, refers to the number of 'congressional medal of honors given to u.s. marins after the battle.

by the way, some people really hate posts with no cap letters. forgive me.

[qnr]

14. That was the seed of this poll, it

bothers me when people use it. Then I started wondering if I was just overreacting.

Lack of caps doesn't bother me. I can just imagine what this must look like, since it is being entered with a stylus on a PDA :)

[vickitulsa]

17. Interesting trend in the posts on this thread.

What I noticed as I read the OP and then all the replies is that it seems most of us are irked or even become "apoplectic" at instances of certain language usage or mis-use that WE have a pet peeve about, while we tolerate quite well other offenses of language which might well be seen by many -- or by "authoritative sources" -- as equally disturbing or irksome.

Wow, that turned into a sentence full of twisted syntax! This often happens whenever I try to discuss language and choice of words, oddly enough. :)

But is my observation on target or not, I ask my fellow DUers?

My favorite written commentary on this general subject (as well as many other language-related topics) is Edwin Neuman's now-classic book, A Civil Tongue.

I have a special fondness for language, having been an English major who also studied Latin and German, both for personal edumacation and class credits. I even wanted for most of my life to be a writer -- and succeeded to a limited extent.

[qnr]

24. That is a valid point. I was thinking that myself, since some things

annoy me more than others. However, I ended up wondering about the overall feeling a person had. Congratulations on your success :) Myself, I spent most of my teenage years hitchhiking, so I'm pretty weak in grammar.

[tjwmason]

18. Between the two.

I do differentiate between colloquial and formal use, I'm less up-tight in the the former...but I still can't abide mistakes based on ignorance.

That said, whatever the circumstances I wouldn't call a spider an insect, a peanut a nut, or a tomato a vegetable (I know nothing about American medals) - because they aren't and there are perfectly good and easy terms accurately to describe them - that said, if somebody were to say something which included one of those I wouldn't correct them...even I'm not that rude.

[qnr]

25. Well, I'm easier on people if it is due to ignorance, as compared to

stupidity.

[Mutley]

19. Both

Your examples are basic rules of language, and I don't see a particular reason why people get those wrong so often. However, a big part of language change is based on the widespread misuse of a part of language.

A good example of that is the hyphen. The hyphen used to be used for any compound word in English. But because the general population stopped using them, its usage has dwindled down to almost nothing today. It will likely fall out of use altogether.

[qnr]

27. Well, there are many rules of language, many people don't even learn

how to properly use their remote. I suppose that it doesn't help that they are called peanuts.

In relation to the hyphens, that's strange, isn't it? You'd think, with so many hyphenated last names, that people would use it more.

[calico1]

20. I remember years ago staying for a few days

with a friend of mine. We were teens at the time. We were sitting a the dinner table and her mother put out the salad. Her dad commented on how good the tomatoes were (it was summer) and how they were his favorite salad vegetable. To which my friend said "tomatoes are NOT vegetables, they are FRUIT!" To which he then replied, "as far as I am concerned if you put them in your salad and they are not sweet like fruit then they are a vegetable." So this went on back and forth until she added that avocados were also a fruit. Now the conversation started getting really heated. Her brothers and I just ate without saying anything. Then the Mom told them both to shut up and eat. :rofl:

I just remember the whole thing being so absurd. And for that reason it isn't a big deal to me whether someone calls a tomato a fruit or not. We are both in our late 40's now and I occasionally remind her of that dinner. We laugh about it now. I think she also realized how silly it was to actually have an argument at the table about your salad.

[qnr]

28. We're interesting when we are younger. I remember being in bed with

my big brother, arguing over the possibility of intelligent life in the universe. After spending twenty minutes giving him my educated and well-thought-out eight year old views to no effect, I kneed him in the groin.

Edit: As far as I can recall, we ended up never discussing that topic again. A shame, really.

[Guava Jelly]

21. I think people nit pick to much

Who care's about the little things

[qnr]

29. I think in many cases, one or two examples become pet peeves that

instantly set people off, and even they don't know why. Different words/phrases do it for different people.

Of course, there are those that just hate clods because the clods refuse to use the language properly. :)

[Pithlet]

22. I don't get too worked up about the examples you gave.

With the exception of the Congressional Medal of Honor, the other examples are often misused because of the practical uses of those objects. A tomato isn't a vegetable, but for the most part it is used as one (we don't eat tomato sundaes, for instance), so we group them with the veggies. Peanuts look and taste like nuts, and are used like nuts. Spiders are grouped in with bugs, as are insects, and as the two terms are sometimes switched, spiders ended up as insects. If someone is writing a technical article about any of those things, I think they should be careful to use the correct terminology, but in casual discussion I don't think it really matters, and could even be confusing.

[qnr]

30. Pretty much my reasoning too. n/t

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

26. Interestingly enough, the new food pyramid still calls tomato a veggie

[qnr]

31. heheh thanks, I hadn't seen that :) n/t