I Say Irregardless?
After careful study of other texts and information concerning Prescriptive and Descriptive approaches to grammar and the linguistic values of both, I decided to write about a word that I used quite often in conversation. Irregardless is that special word that to me announces my indignation, opposition and intent to follow my own thoughts, speech or actions that may conflict with something being prescribed to me from an opposing position. That may not be clear, so an example of my interpretation and use of Irregardless might be, "You will probably go ahead and do it your way, irregardless of what I say." Although my word choice was wrong, it seems to have more impact using the substandard version of regardless.
The Prescriptive viewpoint of the word Irregardless would reveal that this usage should not be uttered since the doctrine of Prescriptive grammar would find that not only the spelling makes no sense, but that it should not appear in any Standard English language dictionary. Unfortunately for the prescriptive advocates, I looked up this word in the Oxford Dictionary and found that it does appear. Therefore why so much fuss from the Prescriptive point of view? Further investigation revealed that Irregardless contains a combination of two words; one of which are "irrespective", and the other "regardless". From a Prescriptive viewpoint, this does not meet the "standardized set of rules" concerning proper English that is spoken by "educated" and "professional" Americans that produce the majority of newspapers, texts and other forms of print.
This Prescriptive form would definitely be important during an interview for a position of employment. Its effects could dramatically change the outcome to the development of an application, and also the word choice involved while being personally interviewed. For this reason and others, the Prescriptive grammarian feels that in order for any group of people to communicate in their society, there must be a "set standard" from which communication can be learned.
Although the Prescriptive form is important for set standards of learning, from a Descriptive standpoint, the word "irregardless" may be considered slang. This slang or "substandard" word however, is extremely important to enhance our further understanding concerning the ways in which we as humans communicate with one another. Further, its use is regularly seen in Common and Vulgar English.
The language has been used in writing before and many books use this type of language so they can build a connection to the real world. It is vital for teens especially in 8th grade and above to learn how important it is to stray away from these potentially hurtful words and how this type of language can set a certain tone to a
In her article entitled “Ode to a Four Letter Word” Kathryn Schulz says, “Writers don’t use expletives out of laziness or the puerile desire to shock or because we mislaid the thesaurus. We use them because, sometimes, the four-letter word is the better word—indeed, the best one.” Her grounds behind this claim are that all profanity is contextual. Writing is an expression, which like all forms of art, approximates reality or the author’s take on reality. That being said, profanity has an appropriate role in writing, insofar as it accurately represents how humans truly interact. That standpoint does not approach the argument that “bad” words are sometimes “good,” but rather that sometimes “bad” words are real. With that in mind, Ramifications should publish the untitled “fat kid” poem because the poet’s literary techniques open a valuable discussion concerning prejudice toward the obese.
In the article by Kyle Wein “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.” explains reasons as to why the owner of a business only hires educated, employees. If someone cannot tell the difference between simple words such as there, their, and they’re, the manager will not hire that applicant. That’s not the only thing Wein looks for in an employee. He is looking for smart, educated, employees who use good grammar. “Yes, language is constantly changing, but that doesn’t make grammar unimportant. Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet.” Grammar is important no matter what the job is. According to the author, without good use of grammar you will not have a job. Without a job you will have no money, no satisfaction, and/or
In today’s society there are many words that are used or said without giving it complete thought. For example, the word “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or even considered how I identify myself.
However, this has greatly hindered our writing in the professional standpoint. With the ability to write simple phrases with poor grammar and quick, abbreviated words, casual writing established itself as another problem for individuals. In some instances, texting has been constantly used incorrectly where one friend told Truus that he “CANT BELIEVE U PUT APOSTROPHE IN HAIRDRESSERS”(Truss 496). During the text, he emphasized on the apostrophe in hairdressers. Although using an apostrophe is unnecessary, it is certainly important in a professional career. Even throughout the text, he did not write out you, but instead wrote it as an “U”. As a result, this short message can carry over to his writing and may appear in future resume and cover letter from habit. Even with the constant reminders to write correctly, individuals continue to write in short messages as they have grown slothful to write longer text. Even then, these habits carry over to their work and as depicted in Wiens’s company, individuals “can’t distinguish between “to” and “too” (Wiens 500). Due to an overuse of writing short texts, employers cannot distinguish simple phrases that would be otherwise taught in an elementary school class. In order to write professionally, it is important to constantly remind ourselves to write grammatically correct during any leisure activities. From there,
African American Slang has had many other names: Ebonics, Jive, Black English, and more. The Oxford English Dictionary defines slang (in reference to language) in three different ways: 1) the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character; language of a low and vulgar type 2) the special vocabulary or phraseology of a particular calling or profession; the cant or jargon of a certain class or period 3) language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense. Whatever one’s perspective on slang, it is a natural and inevitable part of language. In this paper I will discuss examples of current slang being used that some people may not understand.
One student stated that “as long as I know how to speak slang and proper English, I should be ok” (Godley, p. 708). However, nearly all students felt a need for speaking AE or, at least, avoiding slang in work settings (Godley, p. 708). Students’ arguments in favor is maintaining AE in work situations appeared to be navigated by the belief that AAVE is perceived as negative in mainstream society (Godley, Page 709).
When many individuals think of a dangerous word their minds automatically think of the words that they chose to omit when in the presence of children or words that are thought instead of spoken in formal places, but what about the words that sit along the fine line between appropriate and inappropriate? For example, the term redneck has a different meaning to those inside community versus that of those outside. This word is the most dangerous because it is looked down upon and praised at the same time. The term redneck should be socially acceptable in everyday language, because those who it describes take pride using it to describe themselves.
Birk and Birk explore the many processes that automatically and often unintentionally, take place during the gathering of knowledge and expression through words. In their book Birk and Birk break the usage of words into sections: Selection, Slanting by the use of emphasis, slanting by selection of facts, and slanting by the use of charged words. When words are used this way they reveal naturally occurring bias of the writer. Upon reviewing the selection from Birk and Birk’s book Understanding and Using Language it is clear that the essay written by Jake Jameson has examples of every principal Birk and Birk discuss. The Birk and Birk selection provides us with a set of tools that enable us to detect bias in the many forms that it takes. These tools reveal what Jamieson favors and make plain the bias present in his essay The English-Only movement: Can America Proscribe Language With a Clean Conscience?
Orwell also felt the use of foreign phrases was irrelevant by saying: “There is no real need for any of the hundreds of foreign phrases now current in the English language.” The use of foreign phrases and scientific jargon causes the wr...
As we use communication in our day-to-day living, there should be an assurance that the sender and the receiver should be able to communicate properly or else communication is not effective after all. The sender should be able to deliver the message as clear and concise as possible so that the receiver will understand and grasp the message well. On the other hand, the receiver should be wise enough and process the message well so as to avoid misunderstanding. However, we could not avoid that there are certain barriers when it comes to communication- different values, beliefs and personality, bad grammar and wrong word choice are few of the factors that complicate communication. Consequently, there is a way to avoid complications in communication. It is advisable to have communication face-to-face. In this certain manner...
When grammar is put to use in a society, people will often have different beliefs at what is the "right" or "proper" usage. This had led to the formation of two widely accepted forms of grammar, Prescriptivism and Descriptivism. These forms will often separate those who believe their form of grammar is the only correct way from those who use many forms they find to be acceptable. Descriptive grammar is formed by analyzing how speakers use a language, and deducing the rules they follow. Linguists create descriptive grammars in order to understand language more deeply. They understand that a single language can have multiple dialects, and that each dialect will have its own grammatical rules--internally
It is not uncommon to say that grammar instruction plays an important role in language teaching. Regarding the status and importance of grammar teaching, a variety of opinions have been made. Batstone (1994) states that “language without grammar would be chaotic: countless words without the indispensable guidelines for how they can be ordered and modified” (p. 4). More vividly, Wang (2010) makes two similes. She compares grammar to the frame of a house, which is a decisive factor to ensure the solidness of it. Additionally, she regards grammar as a walking stick, whose function is to help and support students to learn English. Thus, the nature of grammar instruction manifests its own significance as it helps students enhance their overall language proficiency by integrating grammar into other aspects of learning, like listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Let’s start with something simple. Oxymorons. Let’s say you’re getting ready for a job interview and as you’re leaving the house, someone yells out behind you, “Just Act Natural, you’ll be fine.” You get in the car and the only thing you get on your mind is “acing natural.” A person can’t act and be natural at the same time and the entire time you’re driving to the job interview, you’re thinking, what can I do to act more natural. That, my friend, is an oxymoron and can easily be mis-interrupted. You’ve heard of them before. They can easily be defined as a couple of words contradicting one another but used as a fixed expression. A couple of examples, found missing, same difference, good grief, and airline food.
Susan Adams and Kyle Weins have both written articles on the importance of using good grammar in the workplace. Each article gives numerous compelling reasons why this is a good practice. Susan Adams’ article first reason for doing so is in regards to how other people would view someone who uses bad grammar. She brings out that someone’s image can be damaged when they have improper speech habits; consequently their chances of advancing at work could be limited. Second, she shows how using poor grammar could cause a manager to view an employee as unorganized or unable to perform more advanced tasks. Finally, she brings out that someone who has poor speaking habits could be perceived as not having a firm grasp on the subject they are speaking about (Adams). Kyle Weins article also brings out some important points on bad grammar in the workplace. First, he shows that in today’s world people’s intelligence is judged based on what they say or what they type. The second point relates to how a manager could perceive someone with poor grammar. A manager could see an employee who uses poor grammar as someone who struggles to concentrate on tasks and doesn’t show attention to detail. Finally, he shows that peo...