Word Crimes

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
07/22/2014 at 09:31 • Filed to: None

By now, I'm sure most everybody has seen this new Weird Al parody. I think it's brilliant, right up to the point where he splits an infinitive at the very, very end. So close to perfection, Weird Al, so close.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Split infinitives are falling out of (or into?) favor, language is ever evolving, blah, blah, blah.

DISCUSSION (26)

explainitome > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:34

#somecunninglinguist

Mattbob > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:35

I hadn't heard it. Weird Al is so corny, but I can't help but laugh.

ttyymmnn > explainitome
07/22/2014 at 09:37

Yeah, I caught that. I shared this with my parents. Let's see if they notice.

ttyymmnn > Mattbob
07/22/2014 at 09:39

As someone who has gone on a grammar rant here on Oppo before, I thought it was fantastic. He hits all the highlights. Or should I say, low lights.

Mattbob > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:40

indeed. I was surprised at how much info he packed in there.

thebigbossyboss > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:45

gr8 m8 r8 8/8.

I don't blame people on making the its, it's mistake. Most other words use the apostrophe when possessive.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:45

All eight videos from Mandatory Fun are up now - Tacky, Word Crimes, Foil, Handy, Sports Song, First World Problems, Lame Claim to Fame, and Mission Statement. That last is a CS&N parody (Crosby Stills & Nash meet Dilbert-esque buzzwordspeak) so I really need to take down the shields here at work and watch it. (I haven't yet).

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/22/2014 at 09:51

I started watching Tacky , but it didn't work as well for me. But Word Crimes strikes a chord. I'll check out the others soon.

ttyymmnn > thebigbossyboss
07/22/2014 at 09:54

But this one doesn't. It ought to be easier to learn the exception than the rule. It's a losing battle, though. Before long the apostrophe will be gone, and we will ascertain the meaning via context. There's even a move to ditch the apostrophe altogether.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 09:57

Germans don't use the apostrophe in possessive, but they have the advantage that comparatively few of their words use an "s" in plural. It's mostly loan words that do, though I think there are a few exceptions.

thebigbossyboss > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 10:02

To be honest I can usually tell what things mean without the apostrophe, or if a semi-colon is put in place of the apostrophe which seems to be increasing common on the internet.

One thing that has annoyed me, which he touched on the video, is the new meaning of literally which is figuratively. NO NO NO NO.

thebigbossyboss > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/22/2014 at 10:04

loan?

ttyymmnn > thebigbossyboss
07/22/2014 at 10:05

Those sorts of mistakes are usually made by people who are trying to sound intelligent. Unfortunately, it usually has exactly the opposite result.

thebigbossyboss > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/22/2014 at 10:05

Also the Germans have compound works like "doppelkupplungsgetriebe"

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 10:05

Unfortunately, it seems to be a losing battle. I just cringe sometimes, but it's hard not to come off like a dick when you correct people. Flagrant errors in Jalopnik headlines get to me the worst. I know they're trying to pump out content quickly, but please just take two minutes to proof your work before you hit publish, fercryinoutloud!

I just read "Posher Boxter" this morning...

webmonkees > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 10:07

"New To You" may not sell cars. It's just owned by a person named Auto.

ttyymmnn > webmonkees
07/22/2014 at 10:09

This apostrophe-plural phenomenon is, I think, a fairly recent development. I blame a handful of morons, and the Internet.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > thebigbossyboss
07/22/2014 at 10:17

A loan word is one which has been "borrowed" from another language - and not significantly altered in the past. We have a lot of words with French loan word origins in English that don't really qualify anymore because they've had time to develop, but we also have words and phrases that are unaltered, c.f. "deja vu". An example of a German word that's a loan word in English would be "Schadenfreude".

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 11:01

The Greengrocers will be happy.

user314 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
07/22/2014 at 11:18

Mission Statement. Oh my god, I was laughing so hard I was crying.

BJ > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 13:03

...right up to the point where he splits an infinitive at the very, very end.

Maybe it was intentional. You know, just to get you grammar crazies all riled up...

ttyymmnn > BJ
07/22/2014 at 13:11

I think it was poetic license. The accent is better on "not" rather than on "to." I'd like to think he agonized on that one. But avoiding split infinitives is pretty old fashioned these days.

BJ > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 13:41

Confession time: I'm not sure I would know a split infinitive if it bit me in the face. I was never strong with the details of English grammar.

ttyymmnn > BJ
07/22/2014 at 13:51

One form of the infinitive is formed when you use "to" before the verb. I am going to drive to the store. The infinitive is "to drive". You can use an adverb to modify the infinitive, so you might say, I'm going to drive to the store quickly . The split comes when you put the adverb between the "to" and the verb. It is technically incorrect to say, I'm going to quickly drive to the store . Not splitting the infinitive can get pretty awkward, and sometimes clarity and graceful language is more important than the pedantry of grammar. Which is why it's not considered by many to be that big of a deal these days.

BJ > ttyymmnn
07/22/2014 at 14:17

Thanks for the explanation. I was going to quickly look it up on the internet, but now I don't have to! :)

ttyymmnn > BJ
07/22/2014 at 14:26