It’s GIVEN not GIFTED FFS !!!

[TriflePudding]

Oh god it’s all over Facebook and it’s driving me crazy - “I have here to gift ...a tatty old sofa I can’t be arsed to get rid of myself so I’m fobbing it off on someone else”
or “I have been gifted a bag of baby clothes but they are too small, does anyone know if anyone in need ?”
Or “looking to gift some donations to local women’s refuge/children’s hospital- who do I get in touch with ?”

JUST FUCK OFF !! Say “given” and while we are at it just donate stuff quietly without any fanfare !

YABU - it is perfectly acceptable to use “gifted” as a verb

Or

YANBU - the word “gifted” being used as a verb was invented by Beelzebub himself.

Please feel free to add your own !

as a linguist theatre like these always grind my gears.
this is how language works, how it’s supposed to work, and how it’s always worked. it’s constantly evolving and it’s ridiculous to have these rigid definitions for words we made up in the first place

“Can I get?” worse than gifted and YNBU

For example, contribute. Until recently we said con-trib-UTE. Now, everyone is pronouncing it CON-trib-ute. 😫 Unless you were born and raised in the USA, this is not acceptable!!
We've always pronounced it con-TRIB-ute.

@Tigs64 well quite 🤣.

@Billandben444 I agree!

This thread is entertaining, gratifying and faintly embarrassing in equal measure 😳

Namechangeyay

Completely agree. I quite like seeing subtle changes in the use of language as well as different dialects. Often adds a bit of colour. There are times where styles may need to be restricted though, e.g. formal versus texting or social media.

A post above made me think of something. Anyone know where "ain't" comes from. Can't think what the etymology might be.

Just wanted to agree with the pp who added the word hubby. (God, that was painful to type. F.R.O) It's everywhere!

Has anyone else noticed how some people pronounce drawing as drawRing? (I think the most recent person I heard was Sara Pascoe) just why??

Who cares? You know what they mean so why be a dick about it. People struggle with language for all sorts of reasons. I'm autistic, you wouldnt know unless I told you, I struggle with words, I struggle even more when people stop me to correct my pronunciation or the word I just used. It just proves that you knew what I was saying but now I've lost track of the conversation and am embarrassed so wont bother talking to you anymore.

Also, language does change, always has, always will, it's really quite small minded to think it should never change and everyone should speak like you do.

@Namechangeyay

as a linguist theatre like these always grind my gears. this is how language works, how it’s supposed to work, and how it’s always worked. it’s constantly evolving and it’s ridiculous to have these rigid definitions for words we made up in the first place

Except modern Icelandic I suppose?

From baby groups which seems to have become common parlance: "it's time for snack!"

If anything, it's time for A snack. And it probably isn't anyway, as we can go for an hour without eating actually, now I can't, which is why I'm 5 stone heavier than when I had my second child

I hate all the "impact" variations too, even though they're in such common use now that I'm in the minority. Things "have an impact on" me, I am not "impacted" - that relates to constipation!

The disinterested versus uninterested one intrigued me. I genuinely didn't know that the original intended meaning of the word disinterested was impartial/objective. I use it too to mean "lack of interest in", and I'm PhD level educated (which is a little embarrassing).

The various online dictionaries do seem to accept that disinterested means both "impartial" and "lack of interest", whilst acknowledging its origins and the fact that there is debate around its correct usage.

Is this a widely known issue?

Language changes of course but it's a pity to lose the difference in meaning between, for example, discrete and discreet, or to lose disinterested, which isn't the same as uninterested.

And I hope I'm no longer around if could of/would of/must of is accepted as correct grammar.

That’s a specific type of blow dry called a blow out sometimes called a Brazilian.

@LouJ85

The disinterested versus uninterested one intrigued me. I genuinely didn't know that the original intended meaning of the word disinterested was impartial/objective. I use it too to mean "lack of interest in", and I'm PhD level educated (which is a little embarrassing).

The various online dictionaries do seem to accept that disinterested means both "impartial" and "lack of interest", whilst acknowledging its origins and the fact that there is debate around its correct usage.

Is this a widely known issue?

The original meaning was a synonym of ‘uninterested’ but it took on the meaning of impartiality over time. It is a useful distinction and I hope we don’t lose it.

Yes language evolves, and yes some people find grammar tricky, but it's not as simple as that. A lot of the language uses being discussed on here arise from completely deliberate pretension or cutesiness, so I don't see anything wrong with finding them annoying.

@abbaaaaayy

That’s a specific type of blow dry called a blow out sometimes called a Brazilian.

Blow-out, sometimes blowout, is American for blow-dry.

A Brazilian blow-out or blow-dry (you see both) is a keratin straightening treatment.

Now I’ve typed the word ‘blow’ too many times and it looks weird!

@42goingon90

'Please get back to myself as soon as possible.'

'I will send yourself an email when it's ready.'

Just reading that made me angry! 😂

The original meaning was a synonym of ‘uninterested’ but it took on the meaning of impartiality over time. It is a useful distinction and I hope we don’t lose it.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/dictionary.cambridge.org/amp/english/disinterest

Interesting! Made even more confusing though by the Cambridge online dictionary listing the former meaning first, suggesting this is the most prevalent usage. I don't think the dictionaries can even agree what it means...

Not the point of the thread but I cannot stand ‘Can I ask you to...’ or ‘Can I ask that you all...’ followed by an instruction.
Just tell us what needs doing (and by when) without sounding so smarmy.

The original meaning was a synonym of ‘uninterested’ but it took on the meaning of impartiality over time. It is a useful distinction and I hope we don’t lose it.

I think that would be hard to prove. It could be the other way round. Dis means removal from, apart from. Whereas un just means not.

Disinterest thus means removed from interest in, apart from interest, rid of interest in - rather than lack of interest.

My pet peeves are the should of, would of, could of when we all know it is HAVE

Using brought instead of bought. Brought is past tense or past participle of to bring. Bought is past tense of to buy.

Lastly, as I’m not British, it drives me bonkers the use of OFF instead of FROM

@Goodbye2020Helllo2021

Not the point of the thread but I cannot stand ‘Can I ask you to...’ or ‘Can I ask that you all...’ followed by an instruction. Just tell us what needs doing (and by when) without sounding so smarmy.

A former colleague used to write 'Kindly' in emails.

Can't think of an example now but it always seemed a bit passive aggressive or something, and I don't think that was how he meant it.

A former colleague used to write 'Kindly' in emails.

Can't think of an example now but it always seemed a bit passive aggressive or something, and I don't think that was how he meant it.

Yes, ‘kindly’ reads like a telling off coated in sugar.

I respond better to ‘We’.
‘We need to get this in by...’
‘We need to remember to...’

@TatianaBis

The original meaning was a synonym of ‘uninterested’ but it took on the meaning of impartiality over time. It is a useful distinction and I hope we don’t lose it.

I think that would be hard to prove. It could be the other way round. Dis means removal from, apart from. Whereas un just means not.

Disinterest thus means removed from interest in, apart from interest, rid of interest in - rather than lack of interest.

OED does it for us. ‘Disinterested’ in the sense of ‘uninterested’ from early 17th C. In the sense of impartiality from mid 17th C.