Spreak English, Troop!!

[Perknose]

The English language. To quote an exasperated Yogi Berra, "Can anyone here play this game?"

I don't mean to diminish the true tragedy one whit, so spare me your outrage in advance. The Queens Airbus crash is just the unfortunate context. {Btw, I've spent a lot of time the last 13 years running bad guys to ground in and around Jamaica and Queens, as a P.I.). I know the area well, and I grieve for the unwitting, innocent victims.

I just can't stand hearing national media announcers, who, of all people, should know better, (mis?)quoting the NTSB saying that they are not "ruling in or out any possible cause" for the crash.

There is no such phrase in the English language as "rule IN"!! The phrase to "rule out" something derives from the Enblish schoolboy's habit of using a ruler as a steadying device to drawn a latitudinal line from left to right through an already written sentence or sentences to cancel/discard it. It saved earsure usage. You cannot rule IN anything by drawing a line THROUGH it!!

It was not too many years ago that we (reasonably literate Americans) could all laugh at Louis B. Mayer's famous malapropism, "Include me out." Have we all gotten that dumb this fast?

 

[SaltBoy]

There is no such word in English as "spreak."

 

[UberNeuman]

 

[Perknose]

You've made a fine start in your journey towards mastery of the English language, Saltboy. Now, look up the word "irony", and try not to move your lips while you read.

 

[SaltBoy]

i·ro·ny (r-n, r-)
n. pl. i·ro·nies

1.
a. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
b. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
c. A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect. See Synonyms at wit1.

2.
a. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs: ?Hyde noted the irony of Ireland's copying the nation she most hated? (Richard Kain).
b. An occurrence, result, or circumstance notable for such incongruity. See Usage Note at ironic.

3. Dramatic irony.
4. Socratic irony.

 

[ManSnake]

Rectum's Razor - the simplest explanation is often times the correct answer to a question.

Me fail English? That's umpossible!!

 

[UberNeuman]

I was going to say that you mis-spelled "English," but you corrected it - now that's irony!

 

[BigSmooth]

<< I was going to say that you mis-spelled "English," but you corrected it - now that's irony! >>


Ah, but the first post still says "Enblish" (and also contains the nonword "earsure"). So the irony is still intact!

 

[Perknose]

Hey, UN and SB, check out my spelling of "English" in my lead post. Now, that's unintended irony!! You'd think such gaffes would serve to keep me humble, but, noooooooo . . .

 

[SaltBoy]

I'm wondering if Perknose is having a big laugh at our expense.

 

[Perknose]

Thanks, bigsmooth. So this is what "humble" feels like!!

 

[UberNeuman]

Ahhhhh!

 

[vi edit]

Holy crap! A post by Perknose :Q

 

[nakedfrog]

<< Rectum's Razor - the simplest explanation is often times the correct answer to a question.

Me fail English? That's umpossible!! >>


Wasn't that Occam's Razor?

 

[Perknose]

Well, nakedfrog, at least you can spell . . .

But you do need a supplemental pill for your irony poor diet. After all, ManSnake didn't pull that citation out of his Occam.

 

[Descartes]

I abhor pontificating pedants such as yourself.



<< famous malapropism, "Include me out" >>



I also abhor those who use pretentious language as a means to condescend to others. What's worse? Those who *improperly* use these words. Lets try for a successful execution of linguistic arrogance next time, ok?

 

<< I don't mean to diminish the true tragedy one whit, so spare me your outrage in advance. >>



Exactly. "whitty" eh.

 

[jjones]

<< Have we all gotten that dumb this fast? >>


what can you expect from a system that would put something like ebonics in a school curriculum?

 

[Perknose]

LOL, I wonder what would happen if someone put "whores before Descartes." Would he get a "head" of himself?

Or would you "just walk away, Rene?"

Personally, I can't forget Rene's brother Popeye Descartes' famous statement:

"I think, therefore I yam what I yam."

Now there was a guy, who, through the dietary miracle of Spinach, was never irony deprived.

 

[damien6]

That's cause us Nu Yawkers don't speakee Engrwish from England, we talk that evolved form from which to make it our own. Once upon a time, there was no such word as "ain't" in our dictionary but us Brooklynese don't have any problem finding it nor in using it as well.

 

[Odoacer]

This is terrible. Another plane crash just when we were completing our return to normalcy.

 

[BigSmooth]

From CNN:


<< White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said there had been no unusual communications with the cockpit. Asked if there were any indications of terrorism, Fleischer said "We have not ruled anything in; we have not ruled anything out." >>


It looks like Mr. Fleischer is indeed the person who used the offending phrase. And Perknose, I do agree with your assessment of the English skills displayed by many public figures.

 

[Descartes]

Perknose: I can't flame you when you're cracking me up!

 

[b0mbrman]

Yeah...I notice a lot of misspellings on internet newspapers...

 

[arigato]

The news reporter just metioned that people who were waiting for take off on the runway when the plane crashed were forced to 'deboard'. Never heard of that one before, thought it was deplane.