Tuesday, April 19, 2011

To Gift Or Not To Gift

It really really bugs me to hear people use nouns as verbs. Statements like "We gifted them a book" or "I birthed my son" make me want to cringe. Such verbal monstrosities are even more annoying to me than split infinitives or the ubiquitous "this is where we are AT", which I now hear even during faculty meetings. 

More often than not, people who torture English in this way don't speak any other language. I mean, if it's your only language, could you make a little effort to get it right? 

I'm very grumpy today.

20 comments:

el said...

Instead of "this is where we are AT", what should one say, and what does it mean (in Russian)?

Clarissa said...

"This is where we are." It can mean a variety of things depending on the context. It refers to the location of individuals either geographically or metaphorically.

Amanda said...

The at is a regional thing, though. I know it isn't "proper" English, but it is used in a consistent and easy to understand way, so I don't have a problem with it. Also, because I was raised in an area that used the "at" in that way, I'll admit, I do it a lot myself.

GMP said...

:)) I'm totally with you. Nouns as verbs make me cringe too, none more so than "impact": "Excessive leprechaun turd production has negatively impacted the US federal budget". And oh yes, the superfluous "at" as in "Where are you AT?" I often overhear as people talk on the cell phone.

Rimi said...

It's funny, I'm a fan of split infinitives on occasions, but what I detest is the 'proper' rule of not ending sentences in prepositions. Quite ridiculous. On the other hand, the 'improper' (non-Indian) use of English that really bothers me is the overuse of prepositions. It's perfectly normal in American english to say "outside of these parameters" or "I visited with my aunt" or "she sipped on her tea/hated on her ex", but not having grown up with these structures, they bother the hell out of me.

Oh and, I'm thoroughly irked by idiots who say, 'frack' or 'fcuk' or 'fook' or variations thereof. If one wish to imply the presence of the word 'fuck', please have enough guts to stick to the standard spelling.

Clarissa said...

I must be Indian, too, because I also hate the superfluous use of prepositions in cases like "I met with him."

Shedding Khawatir said...

I disagree completely--to me, variation is the glory of languages, and stuffy grammar rules a sanctimonious prison. Furthermore, "gift" has been a verb in the English language since the 1600s and "birth" since the 1900s according to the Oxford English Dictionary. As for the rest, I believe there are subtle differences in meaning that are interesting to consider. "This is where we're at" (to me anyway) sounds more familiar, metaphorical and definitive than "This is where we are" which seems more geographical and formal. Of course, with a geographical problem (like where are you at, exactly?), adding the at adds emphasis. If I ask if you've resolved your problem with so and so, it makes more sense to say "I met with him yesterday" than "I met him yesterday" which sounds like you met him for the first time. Is this dialect and personal preference? Yes. But it is also the beauty and nuance of English (and every other language).

Rimi said...

Incidentally, Clarissa, have you read Sea of Poppies? I recommend it absolutely. The dialects will be difficult for a non-Indian to follow, but such celebration of dialects and diversity, I've seldom seen in a single text. Glorious!


""I met with him yesterday" than "I met him yesterday" which sounds like you met him for the first time."

Only to you, it would appear. And you can hardly be a champion of fiversity if you dismiss other people's preferences. In fact, I am surprised at the logical leap you make between personal dislike and a censorious attitude. Certainly, there is infinite diversity in language. This does not compel anyone to adore all of its forms without reservation. That attitude would erase the entire basis for such diversity.

Ana said...

I have a question: I've finished uni and have realised that my writing is still atrocious. In particular, as a result of trying to use English correctly, my writing often comes across as stiff and boring. What would you recommend as the best way to improve my writing style?

Clarissa said...

Ana: start a blog. It surely helped me to overcome similar issues like the ones you are describing.

Clarissa said...

Rimi: I share Slavoj Zizek's conviction that the Liberal belief that all diversity is good and multi-culturalism is always fantastic is deeply problematic. I don't support diversity for the sake of diversity. I see it as a buzz-word that people throw around without thinking it through. So being a champion of diversity is very far from my goals.

I remember reading Sea of Poppies. It was good. Very poetic.

Rimi said...

Yes! I quite agree with Zizek on that too! That second part was directed at Shedding Khawatir, not you. Apologies for omitting his name. Quite by accident.

Clarissa said...

Sorry. I should stop answering comments right after I wake up. :-)

SK is a woman.

Shedding Khawatir said...

Rimi, I stated that these interpretations were my dialect and personal preference in my comment. It is difficult for me to give examples of variations in meaning off the top of my head that are not from my own dialect. My example was not meant as a condemnation of your choice, but rather an explanation of why I (and others) might use this preposition to give a different meaning to the sentence. I don't think you have to like all variations equally; I just think it should be recognized that there often are subtle variations in meaning that come with linguistic variation, which is why (in my opinion anyway) it is a wonderful and fascinating thing, rather than something to be scorned as "improper English." Sea of Poppies is a wonderful book.

Pagan Topologist said...

I agree that 'meet' and 'meet with' mean different things. If I meet with someone or some group, we spend a possibly extended period of time together for some purpose, as in 'I met with the committee to discuss the student's academic dishonesty case.' or 'My lawyer met with the plaintiff.' 'To meet' by itself means either for the first time ever, as noted above by another commenter, or else it is an intransitive verb as in; 'Let's meet at the bar in the hotel lobby and decide where to go for dinner.'

Pagan Topologist said...

Rimi, many of us encounter situations where writing 'fuck' would get our writing censored. In the 1960's, students were arrested for wearing it on a t-shirt. In fact, while I was a grad student, four students were arrested in such a case for public indecency. one was wearing a t-shirt with a large "F" on it, one with a "U", one with a "C" and one with a "K". Policemen waited until they were standing in the correct order to spell 'fuck' and arrested them for public indecency. So these assorted misspellings are just an attempt to get past censors. This can still happen, but to some extent it is now just an expression of support for those who used these tricks in the past.

KT said...

The idea of verbing nouns is fascinating to me. I just did it too, after all, we also use "sanctioning" and "proposotioning." Why not "gift" and "friend" too? The language always surprises. And I like this video too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY&feature=player_embedded

Clarissa said...

An absolutely true story. A male student shows up at my office and announces, "Professor Clarissa, I am here to proposition you." "To do what???" I screech in a hoarse voice. "To proposition you to become the sponsor of our student organization," he explains calmly.

I guess it's my fault for having a dirty mind. :-) :-)

TF said...

If this story's to be believed, at least one well-known English author used to make up words all the time:

http://bigthink.com/ideas/37731

Shakespeare did this by changing the part of speech of words, adding prefixes and suffixes, connecting words together, borrowing from a foreign language, or by simply inventing them . . .

Of course, this is just asking for someone to reply "You sir, are no William . . ."

Pagan Topologist said...

I was just realizing today that another case of this that annoys me is the use of the noun 'loan' in place of the verb 'lend.'