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Pedants' corner

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Original poster

My friend uses the wrong words...

411 replies

nickytwotimes · 12/02/2008 13:23

My very good, kind and lovely friend uses the word "pacific" rather than the correct term "specific". My fellow pedants, what do I do? I have turned a blind eye (or deaf ear) to it thus far, but it drives me crazy. Another lovely friend responded to my ds saying "How do you do?" (he is 18 mths - very cute!) by saying "Very well thank you and how are you?"!

Am I going straight to hell for being so judgemental?

OP posts:
StealthPolarBear · 14/02/2008 15:02

both!

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:04

Well to spell it like that is just illiterate, but the pronunciation is OK, no?

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:05

FM I saw that too and wondered the same thing.

clam · 14/02/2008 15:06

How do you pronounce 'drawer,' then? As opposed to 'draw?'
And if it's a corner belonging to some pedants, then surely it should be pedants'

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:10

If it belongs to the pedants, yes of course. But if it is merely descriptive, ie a corner populated by pedants, then no.

LittleWonder · 14/02/2008 15:13

Well if you think it's pedants, you've got another think coming!

StealthPolarBear · 14/02/2008 15:15

Yes, I suppose the pronunciation would be very similar, not sure if it would be exactly the same, but that might be my common northern accent!
I would tend to say "draw-er" but not a huge emphasis on the w iyswim.

StealthPolarBear · 14/02/2008 15:15

yes, maybe I'm being thick but why on earth would it be pedants corner?

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:19

It could be.

A corner described as containing or appertaining to pedants? Like Jesus sandals? (Not Jesus' sandals, which would be the footwear sported by Mr Christ himself.)

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:22

Quite

chuggabopps · 14/02/2008 15:22

why a corner though? isn't it a thread? as there are no adjoining sides to be a corner in.

StealthPolarBear · 14/02/2008 15:23

ah yes so pedants would be an adjective, is that right?
I suppose in that case I would expect it to be called the pedantic corner.
well, not so much a corner, as a group of threads. A reel?

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:23

More like a Moebius strip, if the above discussion are anything to go by...

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:24

discussions

Scampmum · 14/02/2008 15:24

Twice at work recently I have heard people use 'exasperated' for 'exacerbated'. At least once a day I hear 'disinterested' for 'uninterested' (though I agree this one is so commonplace it is becoming corrupted through frequent usage) and 'infer' for 'imply' (though never the other way round - perhaps people don't get the concept of inferring?)

My sister has extrapolated the frequent 'could do/would do/should do' to 'does do' and 'did do' - it is very irritating. Today for the first time I couldn't help myself and corrected her with the obvious consequence of deepening her intellectual inferiority complex.

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:24

Although it is unusual to use a plural in that way. You don't say buses depot or dogs track for example. Perhaps it should be pedant corner.

Scampmum · 14/02/2008 15:26

ps I missed out a few pages and I'm sure this has all been put to bed but UQD you were displaying incredible cognitive dissonance a few pages back. It is absolutely, clearly, incontrovertibly 'another think coming'.

Oh, and my other one is 'the reason being is that...'. ARGH!

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:27

I think disinterested and infer have both gone the same way. A lot of people simply don't know what these words mean and assume that they are more sophisticated versions of uninterested/imply. Horrible!

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:29

That would be the kind of "displaying incredible cognitive dissonance" which is also known as "disagreeing", then?

Retaining and remaining are two more which people mix up.

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:30

scampmum - are you and your sister Scousers?
Reminds me of "De do dough, don't de dough?"

IorekByrnison · 14/02/2008 15:32

UnquietDad, you are like the last Japanese soldier

LittleWonder · 14/02/2008 15:36

I simply cannot stand people who try to be formal and use "myself" instead of me.

Scampmum · 14/02/2008 15:46

That made me laugh. A lot. No, we are from Portsmouth posh Southerners. And she would say 'De do do dough, don't de do dough?'

'Cognitive dissonance' is a phrase I tend to use interchangeably with 'confirmation bias' and in more specific terms 'underdetermination of theory by data' in a reckless display of slapdash regard for their actual definitions in psychological/philosophical terms to mean that people will essentially extract what they want to from the universe of empirical data i.e. bend the facts to fit the theory.

UnquietDad · 14/02/2008 15:50

Erk! Jargon alert.

Portsmouth, eh? Nothing to do with pedantry but have you seen this?

Scampmum · 14/02/2008 15:53

Or, more accurately, select the facts to fit the theory. This isn't philosophy of science corner, though, so I should get back on topic and have a fried egg and crabstick sandwich.