I am contemplating giving up pedantry...

[hatwoman]

...it's bad for my health. Last week, in addition to the usual stresses of commuting, I had to listen repeatedly to some pre-recorded moron say: "From 18th May South West Trains will be running a new timetable. New copies of the timetable are available at all stations." (Clearly they are not "new copies"....they are copies of the new timetable)

When it starts to bug you this much I do wonder if it's just time to quit.

I think that you are assuming that pedants gripe about grammar etc for the sake of their own glorification. This is not what it is about. It is about care and respect for language, and is born of a fear that its richness and complexity is eroded through chronic, unthinking misuse.

And we know we look like petty minded geeks for doing it, but someone has to.

Going off on a tangent slightly (), dh and I refer to single-storey dwellings as 'bunaglows' after this spelling error appeared in our local newspaper for 5 weeks in a row last time we were house-hunting.

here you go LL:

1. a specialist or expert in grammar.
2. a person who claims to establish or is reputed to have established standards of usage in a language.

I'd have no problems with a person having expertise in grammar, only if they were pedantic about it.

Anyway this thread was about pedantry and not 'grammar specialists' which you can see are not necessariyl the same.

Anyhow, I'm in danger of becoming obsessive about my distaste for pedantry so will curtail myself and leave you pedants to it.

I don't count myself as a pedant... more an interested observer (it was drummed into us Linguistics students that "linguistics is descriptive, not prescriptive", so I'm here with my notebook out, looking for potential linguistic changes in progress ). I came across this section of MN only recently and I thought I would hate it, but it has made me LOL so often, I am a bit of an addict now.

Keep up the good work pedants [cheering emoticon]

Dictionary definition of killjoy: one who is far too far up their own arse to see humour in the mock horror of pedantry.

Ha!

The protestations of the importance of standards, and correct grammar and spelling and the (I now realise mock pompous) claims of it being 'about care and respect for language, and is born of a fear that its richness and complexity is eroded through chronic, unthinking misuse', misled me into beleiving that this was taken very seriously by those claiming the pedant title.

The irony was SO heavily disguided I don't think I am the only one who missed it.

in case you miss my sarcasm.

LBDD is just sore 'cos of the glaring lack of the possessive apostrophe in her name

aaargh not a possessive apostrophe

where's the pedants' corner cyanide capsule?

I could change it to lavenderisblueDillyDilly, if that would make anyone happy??

hmmm - what did I start?? I have to say I describe myself as a pedant in a self-deprecating way, and I assume most of us here do. I love language and I love grammar, and yes, I love the fact that I have a good command of it. I think it has an intrinsic interest - reflecting, as it does, culture and history. I don't think it's something to be preserved in stone but I do think it is something to care for and nurture - as it grows. But I'm also aware that not every sees eye-to-eye with me on this, so I label my interest "pedantry" - because I know some find it annoying - and I share it with my fellow pedants, whilst welcoming the views of others.

s'ok. I've already spotted the mistake in my pedantic thread...

LOLOL at "pedants' corner cyanide capsule"

I love lavender's arguents.

But I kind of love pedants too. . .to a point.

And love custardo's defense of pedantry.

Anyway very funny thread!

1O, I say. Did you care? Did you wince?

lol at WilfSell's very correct definition. But there is no mock in my horror.

I always thought it was lavenders plural (ie bunches of lavender) being touted by street vendor in the song. Did you find the capsules, policy?

I had the experience of a South West Train last week. The announcements were the last thing on my mind, hatwoman. The fact that the train carriage was an antique, without power for laptops, creakingly cold and slow and late, no coffee or Times. These were the things that really offended me.

'No coffee or Times' Been on any suburban buses lately, Quattro? You're lucky if they have a full set of wheels.

IB - well I googled Lavenders/Lavender's Blue and almost everyone seems to say the latter, but maybe this is anachronistic/false correction? Dunno. Have you sung it to some original medieval arrangement or summat?

BTW, googling 'Lavender's Blue' also brings up a link to a feminist Mormon talkboard. Something that might come in useful one night if we get bored with starting fights on this one...

No - I had no idea. It was a mindless assumption. Feminist mormons! Wow!

My sons' school are looking for a new parent governor. There are five nominations for the vacancy. Three out of the five election statements contain sins against the English language (e.g. two statements contain childrens' school

I hope it's the fault of a member of the school admin team. But the pedant in me feels repulsed by the three candidates concerned and one of them was proposed by me.

I should join you Hatwoman.

Swedes, did your admin team retype the statements then?

Er, the admin team at the school - unless you have your own typing pool?!

I am having to re-assess my understanding of lavender(')s blue. It had never occured to me that it was anything other than a plural. I find re-assessing life-long articles of faith most difficult.

And anyway lavender is purple.

ooh hatwoman, aren't we getting into dangerous 'misplaced apostrophes as signs of moral weakness' territory here??