LOL - mine is "Kids." I'm not a goat, I have "Children."
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Words or phrases that annoy you (even if you can't explain why) . . .
- Thread starter usagora
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I think you're the first person I've ever heard say the word "kids" bothered you 😂 Of course, I have no problem with "children" either. But the primary definition of "kid" refers to humans, so maybe it's the goats who need to come up with a different term? 😉
You're not the first to say to me, "I think you're the first person who..." - so maybe it's just me 🤣
Yes, that used to rile me, also.
Now, I have trained myself to accept it, not least because use of this term has become so widespread that further resistance seems futile.
Haaaaaa Star Trek!
Where I am and the groups I hang out with, everyone says kids - very few say children. Lol. Southern California thing? I don’t know. lol.
Speaking of children… being child free invites a lot of the “you just wouldn’t understand” statements that one just needs to smile through politely (I choose to for family/friends). I guess another thing that bothers me! lol.
This is very much a part of Valspeak. Every sentence ends in the tone of a question. Drives my wife nuts.
I was raised by two members of the Silent Generation (the generation born during the 1930s and 1940s). This generation was taught (and passed on) that children are to be seen and not heard. I don't advocate that of course, but teaching your children manners and how to behave in public was part of me and my wife's job.
I bring that up because a lot of the 'you just wouldn't understand' stuff seems to stem from 'parents' trying to justify a child's bad behavior, or, their own bad behavior. Having been childless (before having kids) I get it. There will be the day when my wife and I get our lives back because the kids have moved out and have their own lives.
OoooOOoo... must have been rough growing up.when you have a mother who has a Bachelor's degree in English, you are learning proper English.. and that ain't it.
Mom: You need to clean your room.
You: Can we change the subject?
Mom: Your room needs to be cleaned by you.🧐
Yeah, mom, but try that using the active voice. Checkmate!
Yup, "upspeak" is super annoying. The segment of the population that tends to use this inflection were super annoying before this trend. Now they are just insufferable.
"To be honest" or starting a sentence with "Honestly......", if you weren't intending on being honest then why am I talking to you to begin with?
The mentions of upspeak/uptalk and Valley Girl-speak reminded me of these stories, for anybody interested:
Uptalk? Linguists Say It's Not Just For So Cal 'Valley Girls' Anymore?
Linguists explain how to tell statements from questions in Valley Girl talk
From Upspeak To Vocal Fry-NPR Fresh Air
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I also tried to find a clip from a PBS program that had an interview with the UC San Diego linguist from the first link demonstrating the different ways younger and older people say the word "go". But I either don't remember enough details to track it down or the clip isn't available online. Oh well.
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A personal observation is that upspeak might only be annoying to older native-speakers of American English. French, for example, has an upward intonation over the course of most sentences. And tonal languages, of course, rely on upspeak and downspeak.
Uptalk? Linguists Say It's Not Just For So Cal 'Valley Girls' Anymore?
Linguists explain how to tell statements from questions in Valley Girl talk
From Upspeak To Vocal Fry-NPR Fresh Air
-----------
I also tried to find a clip from a PBS program that had an interview with the UC San Diego linguist from the first link demonstrating the different ways younger and older people say the word "go". But I either don't remember enough details to track it down or the clip isn't available online. Oh well.
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A personal observation is that upspeak might only be annoying to older native-speakers of American English. French, for example, has an upward intonation over the course of most sentences. And tonal languages, of course, rely on upspeak and downspeak.
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Well I have to disagree with you on that, at least personally but I think a lot of people (not only older people) find it annoying because it is obviously fake or at least exaggerated!
The video above, while obviously staged, is an example of the vocal effects "upspeak" and "vocal fry" taken to an extreme. The issue is these types of people exist and just like the video above it is not their normal voice but a forced inflection they think is current and trendy (and is inside their echo chamber) but it is actually obnoxious and obviously fake. Just like in the video these people get caught when they drop the act and that advertises to everyone in the room that you fake your voice trying to be hip.
I'm guilty of this too, but when people say "honestly" or "to be honest" before giving their opinion on something. Are you telling me you're being dishonest every other time you speak?
Well, I certainly agree that consciously using upspeak is bad. But the fact that enough people choose to adopt the accent for there to be influencer videos about it shows there are indeed demographic or psychographic factors in addition to cultural factors that determine one's feelings about upspeak.
LOL. That's why I think it's dumb when people say they're giving "an honest review" on places like Yelp and Amazon.
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THANK YOU @KaliYoni, more on topic I have an irrational hatred for the current use of "influencer" and the types of people who call themselves one (since most of them upspeak). Most I find are just looking to get free stuff from businesses in return for their stupid kissy lips social media posts.
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I've always understood this to mean someone is simply being more frank than they normally would be. In other words, they're not going to hold back their true thoughts/feelings about whatever it is. That doesn't necessarily mean they were lying before, but rather that they just didn't tell you everything or reveal the full extent of their feelings.
Example:
Person A: Hey, do you like the new 2023 Mustang GT?
Person B: I'm not really a fan.
Person B: Ok, to be honest, I hate it with a passion.
So, was person B's first statement a lie? No. An understatement, yes, but not a lie 😉
"Off of". Mostly, the "of" could be dropped entirely.
"To be fair" when thrown in as a wholly meaningless phrase.
"To be fair" when thrown in as a wholly meaningless phrase.
I knew a lady who always said "ideal" instead of "idea". I never had the heart to correct her.
EDIT: Just read a Facebook comment that called someone's dogs her "fur babys" 🤮 I'd forgotten about that one.
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Like nails on a chalkboard for me and I don't know why. Other alternate pronunciations don't get me like this one does.
I think it's the difference between being blunt and being diplomatic. My wife has had to learn the inverse of this. She's always honest. If you ask her opinion she will tell you exactly what she thinks. Most times you don't even need to ask.
But when I first met her, she was simply blunt. Which hurt people's feelings or caused them to feel as if she was attacking them (she was not). Over time I finally managed to get into her head that there are ways of getting your point across and giving your opinion without delivering it via a 2x4 to the head.
Given the profession she's chosen (teaching), that's all the more important now.
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I think it's the difference between being blunt and being diplomatic. My wife has had to learn the inverse of this. She's always honest. If you ask her opinion she will tell you exactly what she thinks. Most times you don't even need to ask.
But when I first me her, she was simply blunt. Which hurt people's feelings or caused them to feel as if she was attacking them (she was not). Over time I finally managed to get into her head that there are ways of getting your point across and giving your opinion without delivering it via a 2x4 to the head.
Given the profession she's chosen (teaching), that's all the more important now.
Exactly. And there's also people who clearly do mean to be hurtful, and hide behind "Well I'm just being honest". As you indicated, however, honesty doesn't require that you say everything that comes to your mind!
My old Best Buy CC is with Citi.
For some reason that only they can explain, instead of Signing In/Out, you Sign On and Sign Off.
It is a website, not a walkie-talkie. Not sure why it annoys me, but it does.
For some reason that only they can explain, instead of Signing In/Out, you Sign On and Sign Off.
It is a website, not a walkie-talkie. Not sure why it annoys me, but it does.
When you send a secure message to customer support through their website, does the button say "over" instead of "submit"? 😂