This has been a delightful thread. I love these local or regional differences in what we call things. Thank you, all.
However, I’d like to be a curmudgeon for a minute, since the thread title is about “Today’s Language.”
I’m tired of the word “ass” being used in words such as “bigass” and “badass” and “ass-hat” (whatever that is). I see the first two in television advertising a lot these days, and they all appear in shows, especially so-called “comedy specials”. What does an ass have to do with badass? (I have a friend who was just pronounced cured of a serious case of rectal cancer, but I don’t think they are referring to him.) If these words appear on tv, it’s because writers write scripts calling for actors to say these things. Why? Is this what they mean by “keeping it real”? What is real about it? It’s just imprecise and rude. I sometimes call someone an ass, but if I do, I’m referring to a donkey. I don’t mind calling a backside an ass. But “bigass” is unnecessary when “big” is sufficient, and “badass” is unnecessary when mean, violent, bad, or criminal will do quite well.
I’m also tired of the casual use of the word “dick” to refer to men who are unpleasant, thoughtless, mean, rude, sexist, etc. (I’m so glad my name isn’t Richard.) We are stuck with that slang term for a body part, but why then use it to describe a person? Just don’t say it!
This new use of the perfectly good German and Scandinavian name Karen to describe a certain type of older, entitled European-American woman is also disgusting. Please don’t use the name this way. Resist it! Tell off people who use it that way!
Another gripe is the use of the phrase “I be” instead of “I am” or the phrase “Ima” instead of “I’m going to.” There are Cajun areas in Louisiana where this is standard, due to their ancient French roots. My dear Uncle Johnny from Halifax County, Virginia talked that way, and I would never think of correcting him. But he also didn’t have a flush toilet. Don’t let this illiterate speech become part of your way of speaking. It isn’t amusing. Also, if I see a meme with that sort of language, whether from right or left, a wave of scorn rushes over me. I see this a lot in television advertising. It disgusts me.
One more common problem today that is due to people not reading and simply listening and speaking is when they write “should of” or “would of”. That makes no sense at all! They should write “should’ve” or “would’ve,” perfectly correct contractions of “should have” and “would have.” If you apply for a job and write “should of” in your application letter, you will be immediately classified as ignorant. Actually, you may simply never have thought about it. It’s not too late to learn.
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