Words or phrases that annoy you (even if you can't explain why) . . .

[KaliYoni]

I’m fluent in French, but Québécois, now that’s a different beast

"Bahn Way!"

or Scottish English… 😅

Society invents a spurious convoluted logic tae absorb and change people whae's behaviour is outside its mainstream. Suppose that ah ken aw the pros and cons, know that ah'm gaunnae huv a short life, am ah sound mind, ectetera, ectetera, but still want tae use smack? They won't let ye dae it. They won't let ye dae it, because it's seen as a sign ay thir ain failure. The fact that ye jist simply choose tae reject whit they huv tae offer. Choose us. Choose life.
Irvine Welsh

 

[fanboy-ish]

"Bahn Way!"


Society invents a spurious convoluted logic tae absorb and change people whae's behaviour is outside its mainstream. Suppose that ah ken aw the pros and cons, know that ah'm gaunnae huv a short life, am ah sound mind, ectetera, ectetera, but still want tae use smack? They won't let ye dae it. They won't let ye dae it, because it's seen as a sign ay thir ain failure. The fact that ye jist simply choose tae reject whit they huv tae offer. Choose us. Choose life.
Irvine Welsh

I’m not a native speaker, I’ve completed Cambridge’s CPE certification, I have a bachelor’s degree in English and French, I’m an ardent linguist, but Trainspotting still gives me some problems here and there 🤣

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I’m not a native speaker, I’ve completed Cambridge’s CPE certification, I have a bachelor’s degree in English and French, I’m an ardent linguist, but Trainspotting still gives me some problems here and there 🤣

Okay.

This is a movie where even native speakers (from elsewhere on these isles of ours) may be in sore need of sub-titles.

 

[mollyc]

One might find it irksome to read a series of redundant phrases, one after the other, repetitively, in what would otherwise be an efficient sentence. But perhaps that's just my high school journalism teacher's voice haunting me.

 

[koelsh]

Just for curiosity what word/phrase do you use to genuinely and or sarcastically express “I have heard what was said and (believe) I understand”?

Edit: this was replying to a poster who said they didn't like the phrase "got it" and was genuinely wondering what other ways someone could express the same thought. Their post seems to have disappeared...

 

[decafjava]

Based on a recent thread here on MR, using "pute" multiple times in a post as an abbreviation for computer. 🙄

Well, dare I say that resembles a rude word in French (and a similar word in Spanish with the same meaning). Think workers in a red light district.

Or this...
French national denied Quebec residency over language proficiency

As one says in Quebec or France:

Spoiler

Tabernac! Ou bien quelles conneries!

That article is from 2021 I wonder how it was resolved.

 

[quatermass]

Nothing in the post of mine you quoted says you can't be annoyed by American dialectical variation. But I agree with the OP that this thread shouldn't be about putting down different nationalities. There's a difference between "I don't like this American word" and "Americans are barbarous and stupid for using this word".

You'll surely have spotted that the quote about "American Barbarism" was from 1865... I'm may be approaching my late youth, but I'm not that old! That was how the word was regarded at the time. And of course, I never said that Americans are barbarous and stupid. I've worked for US companies, with Americans, and found them to be civilised, educated and intelligent, and a pleasure to be with. I expect a certain proportion are barbarous and stupid, but that's the same everywhere and to be expected.
I don't like the word no matter who uses it - it's ghastly and unnecessary as there is already a perfectly good word.
Perhaps you've heard of Gyles Brandreth - he complied a list of 38 Americanisms the British Can’t Bloody Stand
and he doesn't even include Burglarize!

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

^That's a good list 😅 Though we hate some of those too!

"touch base"--an awful example of corporate-speak, like "circle back".
"deplane"--as bad as "regifting" to me.
"that'll learn you"--this one's very regional and it's not considered anything other than a joke in my "coastal elite" region.
"for free"--the list-writer says you don't say "for cheap", but I absolutely do hear that.
"medal"--that's an interesting one. I'm wondering if it's more common in America than in Britain to verb nouns (excuse the example). "Gifting" being a prime example. And while adulting may be hard, languaging is even harder.

An interesting article on this phenomenon of "verbing".

 

[usagora]

Just for curiosity what word/phrase do you use to genuinely and or sarcastically express “I have heard what was said and (believe) I understand”?

Edit: this was replying to a poster who said they didn't like the phrase "got it" and was genuinely wondering what other ways someone could express the same thought. Their post seems to have disappeared...

You could just say, "understood." Or:

"makes sense"
"fair enough"
"gotcha" (though this is pretty close to "got it")
"ok"
etc.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I suspect much of what has been discussed in this topic has been going on since the first cave people -- "Honestly the way that young Ughs pronounce 'ugh' these days really gets my ugh..."

I remember reading, in Latin class, a Roman essayist complaining about Roman teenagers. He probably had much the same to say about the bastardisation (i.e. illegitimus-isation) of the Latin language.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Just for curiosity what word/phrase do you use to genuinely and or sarcastically express “I have heard what was said and (believe) I understand”?

Edit: this was replying to a poster who said they didn't like the phrase "got it" and was genuinely wondering what other ways someone could express the same thought. Their post seems to have disappeared...

When speaking to someone, - and wishing to express this sentiment genuinely (as opposed to sarcastically) I would say "that makes sense", or "I hear you", or sometimes, "fair enough", or, "okay"

When writing, I might write something on the lines of "Understood", or, if seeking clarification stress that I understand certain aspects or features but would welcome clarification or confirmation of a specific point.

However, I have never used "Got it".

This is an expression I have only ever encountered from Americans when writing in a somewhat informal context - such as this platform - and when used, it has never been used - or, I have never seen it used - as anything other than in a dismissive and sarcastic sense.

Hence, in my experience, this expression is not used - at least, I have never seen it used otherwise - to indicate that one has genuinely understood something.

Thus, I don't use it.

As a teenager, I loved sarcasm, as I thought that it was clever.

However, nowadays, if I want to express disagreement with something, I use words; sarcasm is not usually necessary.

 

[sunapple]

“It’s a solution in search of a problem.”

There, I said it.

 

[adrianlondon]

As a teenager, I loved sarcasm, as I thought that it was clever.

Got it.

As a Brit living abroad, I love sarcasm, as it's the main linguistic trait people here seem to enjoy me using.

So it's become one of my usingest humour styles.

 

[HPDoor]

"Moving forward" as if there is any other option 😬

 

[koelsh]

This is an expression I have only ever encountered from Americans when writing in a somewhat informal context - such as this platform - and when used, it has never been used - or, I have never seen it used - as anything other than in a dismissive and sarcastic sense.

Interesting as I live in the Midwest US and at least when spoken “got it” is used in the genuine sense the vast majority of the time.

When written it’s entirely contextual of course.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

"Moving forward" as if there is any other option 😬

Oh, yes.

Agreed.

That is yet another linguistic horror.

 

[robgreene]

Here are few that make me cringe every time I hear them:

1. As someone who works with kids, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't use the term "kiddo" or "kiddos" instead of "kid" or "kids". It's not as bad as "doggo" or "doggos" (instead of "dog" or "dogs"), but pretty darn close.

2. "legit" used as an adverb. For example, "I legit just saw Tom Cruise at the mall." As an adjective, I don't mind it. For example, "The email you received was legit" doesn't bother me.

3. "said" used by non-lawyers in non-legal contexts to refer back to a previously mentioned person, place, or thing. For example, "I found a pair of sunglasses I like, so I bought said pair of sunglasses." It just sounds utterly pretentious.

There are others, of course, but those are the top 3 at the moment in my head 😂

Conversely, there are words or uses of words that seem to bother many people that I don't have any problem with. Probably the most common would be the use of "literally" in a hyperbolic sense. For example, "That movie was so amazing, it literally blew my mind." To me, that's clear and obvious hyperbole and doesn't bother me in the least, yet for some reason it sends others into conniption fits. They don't seem to accept that words can have totally different meanings and/or connotations depending on context. You may not like that use, fair enough, but it's not "incorrect". I admit the same about the three words I detailed above--they are common, accepted uses, but I just don't like how they sound.

Thanks, kiddo. Said post legit blew my mind.

 

[Septercius]

"hate". Anything even remotely negative gets branded as "hate". Anyone saying anything remotely negative gets branded as a "hater". I don't think people have any idea what "hate" is, and what history shows us it can lead to. I suppose it's a part of how polarized the internet is, where there are only two positions (binary 0 and 1) and nothing in-between.

"ask", when used as a noun, e.g. "it's a big ask". People at work use this, and it drives me crazy.

"lol". Usually used with something that's not funny.

The railway tannoy announcements here in the UK say things like "this train will shortly arrive into Birmingham New Street station". What's wrong with saying "arrive at"? Weird.

 

[KaiFiMacFan]

I also dislike “ask” as a noun. “That’s a big ask, but let’s circle back and touch base Monday”. What’s wrong with “request”?

 

[Clix Pix]

I, too, dislike "ask" as a noun. Very irritating! Another phrase I don't like is "let's get it!"

 

[usagora]

Trite phrases such as "sorry for your loss" (when someone dies) and "thank you for your service" (said to current/past military). No matter how sincere the speaker is, it comes across as "This is what I'm socially programmed to say."

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Trite phrases such as "sorry for your loss" (when someone dies) and "thank you for your service" (said to current/past military). No matter how sincere the speaker is, it comes across as "This is what I'm socially programmed to say."

And then there is the inimitable "Thoughts and Prayers..." as the ultimate "I know you have suffered, but I really don't care nor do I intend to do anything about it"

 

[decafjava]

Good points, but if you were speaking to someone who suffered a tragedy what would you say instead?

 

[usagora]

Good points, but if you were speaking to someone who suffered a tragedy what would you say instead?

Basically anything but those sorts of phrases. Obviously it depends on the specific situation, but even just a simple, "I am so sorry" is far better. Sometimes it might be best not to say anything at all and just hug them and cry with them.

 

[adrianlondon]

And then there is the inimitable "Thoughts and Prayers..." as the ultimate "I know you have suffered, but I really don't care nor do I intend to do anything about it"

As a non-American I just think "Thoughts and Prayers" means "Oh well, God wanted you/them to suffer; it is what it is. Bye!".