Me, myself and I

[redexpat]

Hello. I've just discovered this section of MN and am v v excited! My first query for this thread is:

Why has there suddenly been an explosion in the use of 'myself'? It's all over AIBU! Usually along the lines of 'DH, DC and myself were going to a bbq...'

I thought it was the reflexive object, so you use it when you do something to yourself eg I hurt myself, pinched myself (lots of them involve inflicting pain it seems), surprised myself.

Has this become accepted usage and am I old fashioned?

It's people being entitled!! (see other thread)

And as for "I bought a lovely steak for DH and I" Aaaaargh!!

yes, you're right, it is annoying and very crap english.

it' Salesspeak.
fucking annoying.

It has arisien, I believe, from people being told that "me" is wrong, but "me" is only wrong when you're referring to a noun!
so they go "oh, I'll say myself because it sounds posher"
so instead of saying "please ask me or my colleague" they say "please ask myself or my colleague"
that's wrong!!
if they wereto say "My colleague and I want to know..." that's correct, but they obviously remember being told not to say "me and my colleague want to know....", so think that me is wrong every time!

and of course, the more people use it, the more people who don't understand the rule think it must be right!

A friend of mine has just tweeted the following:

'Have just passed the hospital where myself and my son were born'.

NO.

This is made all the more irritating by the fact that this man considers himself something of an expert in matters of language, because he works in advertising

ooh, people in advertising are the worst for bad grammar!

nickel, not sure what you mean "me is only wrong when you're referring to a noun".

Me should be I when it's the subject of the sentence.
Me should be myself when used as a reflexive pronoun
Me should be myself when used to add emphasis

That's how I understand it anyway

you know what i mean.

i don't do words very well.

I meant that "me" is the noun in the sentence, but obviously that's not what I meant, because I is also a noun.
Me is the object.

so you are referring to me.
and you are confusing me!
(you is the subject, because it's the person "doing the talking" and me is the object because it's being talked about. that's what I meant when I said noun. I meant "object".

or something.
I jsut realised that my clarification didn't say what I meant it to say

I give up!

Me is only wrong if you use it as the subject - the person doing the talking.
"me and jeff are going swimming"
it should be Jeff and I because "Jeff" and "i" are subjects the sentence - they're the ones doing the talking.

I got an email from a lovely friend today asking for sponsorship for a very difficult event for a very worthy cause. Unfortunately it began "next Sunday myself and three team-mates will undertake..."

I can't bring myself to sponsor him now

I am that other people find this annoying. The only thing I hate more is incorrect usage of 'ourselves' and 'yourself' as in 'If yourself can send a letter to ourselves' Aaaaarghhhhh!!!

I've read it in a few old-ish novels, so I don't think it's an entirely new problem...