This week we will start with lowing cattle and end with a strange birthday.
How do you feel when you see “low and behold” written instead of lo and behold? Or wreckless instead of reckless? These things make me laugh – “low and behold” might be what a cow does when looking at something.
But they also makes me sorrow for the state of the English language, and worry greatly for its future.
Some say the ordinary person’s command of English has always been poor. Mistakes and errors of ignorance are merely more apparent today because so much communication is done in emails, texts, and tweets. The spelling ability of foundry workers was never seen in the past.
I reject that. I strongly believe the English language education I was given in the 1970s was more rigorous than is taught in schools today. Further, I think older generations – those at school in the 1950s and ’60s – had even more exacting grammar lessons.
Those lessons half a century ago might be viewed as unimaginative or overly repetitious by modern standards. Level whatever criticism you like, the outcome is that the English skills of people now in their 60s and 70s are higher than those in their teens and 20s.
I have deliberately written the previous sentence as a statement, without adding qualifiers such as “most people in their 20s” or diluting it any other way. I believe what I have said to be an incontrovertible fact.
My supporting evidence? The following are examples collected over the past week.
“Issue wavers for refugees without paperwork”. Waivers would probably be more useful.
A malaise might have fallen over our Government when reacting to the refugee crisis. A malaze (whatever that is) has not.
The evacuation of Mariupol is underway. No, it is under way. Air force is two words, not one. Born out of necessity, borne out by the facts – the meanings of born and borne are not interchangeable.
You can have a breakup if it is a noun, but if you “break up” a nation it is a phrasal verb and therefore two words. Vladimir Putin may (I don’t know the chap) have an alter ego. He definitely doesn’t have an altar ego.
The ball is in their coat. What would that even mean? The phrase is: ball is in their court.
Chronic means long-lasting. Acute, is short and severe. The two are not interchangeable. And please, don’t write anymore any more.
People, and perhaps animals, have birthdays. Firms, events, or buildings have anniversaries. The Second World War did not (I can barely believe I’m writing this) have its birthday last September 3rd.
Word of the week
Objurgatory (adjective)
Scolding, rebuking. EG: “My objurgatory words for younger folk are deserved if they use ‘under way’ as one word.”
Read the latest Oh my word! every Saturday in The Courier. Contact me at sfinan@dctmedia.co.uk
