News1 min ago
loathsome words
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Yesterday a bloke on the Chris Evans show used the word, if you can call it a word, incentivise. I hate words like that. Burglarise, hospitalise, are 2 more. Am i alone in my hatred?
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hempsall
This sort of thing originates in the US. It starts when groups of professionals develop a jargon for talking to each other. It is a protection devise, and stops outsiders being able to intrude into their little communities. However, when these people attempt to speak to the general public, they do not have the same vocabulary as everybody else.
So they use words like incentivise when the mean encourage.
This sort of thing originates in the US. It starts when groups of professionals develop a jargon for talking to each other. It is a protection devise, and stops outsiders being able to intrude into their little communities. However, when these people attempt to speak to the general public, they do not have the same vocabulary as everybody else.
So they use words like incentivise when the mean encourage.
'Burglaris/ze' is an americanism that has been around since the 1870s and 'hospitalise' - a British English creation - since the early 1900s. (As a matter of interest, The Oxford English Dictionary refers to 'hospitalise' as having been called "an unhappy formation", so obviously others agree with you, Hempsall. You're not alone!
'Incentivise' is just a more recent example and, much though you may dislike them, they're here to stay, I'm afraid.
'Incentivise' is just a more recent example and, much though you may dislike them, they're here to stay, I'm afraid.
Yes, I dislike "burglarise" and don't understand why it's so popular when the Americans generally prefer to shorten their words (oriented instead of orientated, etc.). But then again they do use the term "automobile accident" instead of "car crash".
I don't mind "hospitalise" but do have a problem with newsreaders announcing that someone is "seriously ill" after e.g. a car crash. Surely the unfortunate person is injured rather than suffering from an illness?
By the way, is it my imagination or has the so-called grocer's apostrophe suddenly become much more widely prevalent?
I don't mind "hospitalise" but do have a problem with newsreaders announcing that someone is "seriously ill" after e.g. a car crash. Surely the unfortunate person is injured rather than suffering from an illness?
By the way, is it my imagination or has the so-called grocer's apostrophe suddenly become much more widely prevalent?
I think nowadays they're called Bushisms. GW has a habit of extending words unnecessarily. Yes, wrongly used apostrophe's (only kidding) are becoming more prevalent. I put it down to blasted text speak. No one bothers to learn grammar except scholars. My biggest bug bear is the use of "of" instead of 've'. eg would of, could of, aaargh.
What about the recent annoyance of saying 'the build' instead of building and also today I read someone as saying 'the read' instead of the written words! Whats the matter with everyone? If they don't lenghten words they shorten them - or even worse miss the middle out, or don't sound the end !! It really annoys me!!
I'm always amazed at the linguistic things which seemingly annoy people. 'Meet up with' has been a standard americanism for nigh on two centuries and has long been used in British English, too.
As regards 'automobile' in American usage, I've often thought of asking when they stopped using it and started using 'car'. In American films and books back in the 50s and later, these vehicles were always called 'automobiles'; now they never seem to be. It is one of the few examples I can think of where they've adopted our version! Maybe there's an American somewhere who finds that annoying!
As regards 'automobile' in American usage, I've often thought of asking when they stopped using it and started using 'car'. In American films and books back in the 50s and later, these vehicles were always called 'automobiles'; now they never seem to be. It is one of the few examples I can think of where they've adopted our version! Maybe there's an American somewhere who finds that annoying!
As Fowler's Modern English Usage says re new coinages in ise/ize...
"Some of the 20th century newcomers will drop by the wayside. Others will survive into the 21st century and beyond. The creasing of brows about them will continue."
The problem with creasing your brows too much is that, in the end, the creases become permanent! Personally, like Bimbo above, I reserve my creasing for true barbarities such as 'could of' for 'could've'.
"Some of the 20th century newcomers will drop by the wayside. Others will survive into the 21st century and beyond. The creasing of brows about them will continue."
The problem with creasing your brows too much is that, in the end, the creases become permanent! Personally, like Bimbo above, I reserve my creasing for true barbarities such as 'could of' for 'could've'.
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