to wonder why people have stopped using the word 'me'?

[maybenow]

I am dying a little bit inside everytime somebody writing on here or speaking on tv or even in business emails says 'she came over to talk to myself and my partner' or 'please email myself' or soooo many other examples.

What has become wrong with the word 'me'? Why does it seem that the whole world is slowly moving over to using myself instead of me?

I am not usually very pedantic about language, it evolves, fair enough, and my own spelling and grammar can be dodgy when typing quickly in an informal situation but this one for some reason really gets me - myself is longer to write than me!

[Petsinmypudenda]

Me don't know why

[Empusa]

Me Tarzan

[Proudnscary]

I blame The Apprentice

Lord Sugar: 'Who was in charge of this task?'

Contestant: 'That would be myself, Lord Sugar'

[jkklpu]

much worse when they say "please email my boss and I" though

[nickeldaisical]

it's because they panic.
it's overcompensation.

in school you're taught "bob and I verb" and if you say "me and bob verb" you get told off.
what most peope do is forget the "verb" bit and think that you're not allowed to say "me and bob"

it's vvvvvvv annoying.

[Bluegingham]

Oh yes it really annoys myself.

[nickeldaisical]

I always change it when I reply.

so all over the orinigal email are these little blue substitutes

they never ever notice

[Pandemoniaa]

I was wondering this only an hour or so ago. But I've been so pedantic already this morning I thought I'd keep my thoughts to myself.

But I confirm that it annoys myself, mightily.

[BerthaTheBogBurglar]

Yep, they know there is something wrong, grammatically, somehow, with saying "me" and they can't remember where or how.

People started using "myself" because they think it sounds posher/grander/more formal. And of course now everyone says it, it no longer sounds so wrong, so even more people do it.

I'm so used to hearing "I done it" and saying "did! did it" that I found myself saying "I have did it" the other day. Hmm, used "myself" there. "I found I saying"? "I found me saying"? Nope, myself. After a while it all starts to sound wrong ...

[Cillitbanger]

It irritates the life out of me. Unfortunately my boss uses it all the time. I have a link to a website that explains why it shouldn't be used instead of me, but so far have not had the guts to send it to him!

[QueefLatina]

People think it makes them sound more intelligent and professional, hence Apprentice thing

[Anniegetyourgun]

Oh yes, YA so NBU. The rule is really simple.

Where you would say "I", you would also say "Bob and I". Thus, "Bob and I went to a party".

Where you would say "me", you would also say "Bob and me". "He wrote to Bob and me to invite us to the party."

"Bob and I" is not the posh version of "Bob and me"! (Always put Bob first though, it's polite. Even if you don't like him very much.)

Oh, and while we're on the subject (and object, ahaha): "we" and "us".

Where you would say "I" you say "we"; where you would say "me" you say "us". Thus, "we girls are going out", "he said to us girls..."

It's really no more complicated than that.

[Pagwatch]

I like people who use 'yourself' all the time.

[lying]

[Themumsnot]

I am an English teacher. What really gets me is when you get it in an email from another teacher. I feel like doing a little impromptu grammar seminar for them. (But I don't.)

[PorkyandBess]

Because they are twits without a grasp on the basic tenets of grammar.

[Lueji]

Why does yourself bother with these issues?
I don't understand it myself.

[ElectricMonk]

Agreed! I think it's mostly down to the "Bob and I" confusion which nickeldaisical mentioned. There are times when "me" really doesn't sound right even though it's technically correct, which is probably due to a mixture of vaguely recalled admonishments from grammar teachers and the fact that we so rarely hear people use the word correctly now.

Strangely, it also seems that some people have come to associate "me" with informal speech and in some cases even regional dialect - I'm studying English at MA level and one of my friends mentioned a while back that she avoids saying the word "me" because it makes her feel like a farmer... A couple of the people we were talking to also agreed that "myself" sounds more refined and assertive. That may be a particular (regional or age-related) quirk of the people I have studied with though - has anybody else noticed it?

[Mymooncuprunnethover]

You're not allowed to say "me and Bob," Bertha. You're allowed to say "Bob and me" though.

I hate the "myself" thing too.

[FreudianLisp]

YA most definitely NBU.

[ElectricMonk]

Ooops, many cross-posts... Question answered!

[Mymooncuprunnethover]

Sorry, not Bertha....Nickel.

You should also not be allowed to post things without reading properly!

[Frontpaw]

I fint 'myself' a bit grating too. Not sure why, but it sounds as if someone is trying to padd out a sentence. That and cliches too.

[Xiaoxiong]

The guard on the train this morning was doing just this.

"if you need a ticket you can see myself on the platform"

"You can buy a ticket from myself"

nickel I think you're right about overcompensation, particularly when people take a scatter-gun approach to apostrophes, and I/me ("he came over to see Bob and I after breakfast", "he dropped off some books for Bob and I", arrgh).

Speaking of crimes against the English language, the partner I work for just used the word "operationalise" with a straight face ("we need to help the client operationalise this plan of action"). And he has the effrontery to make fun of my American spellings...

[limitedperiodonly]

It's the fault of prissy idiots who instil children with their ideas of good manners.

That's what I feel myself, personally

[Frontpaw]

'crimes against the English language' - I love that! I had an American (not sure if that is relevant of if punctuation rules are different there) boss who used to clash with me (amongst other things) on where punctuation goes with a direct quote, so

"Stop that!" she said would be "Stop that2 she said!, or better still "Stop that"! she said.

it used to drive me doolally.