Ain't nothin wrong wit dat.

What I found particularly interesting in the Blooming English this week was that double negatives were actually an accepted part of English grammar up until the late 1700s. We are often quick to condemn those who use double negatives in their speech or their writing, calling them unintelligent or uneducated. It is interesting to realize that what is considered uneducated now, was once perfectly normal. This creates the feeling that perhaps we should all be more accepting of differences in accents, dialects, uses of grammar, and just uses of language in general. Language is a piece of clay which we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play with every day. We can change its shape, structure, bases, etc over time and thus create something new. We can use the building blocks we are given to create the commonplace and art. The ability to use language in so many ways is what makes it so much fun, so I suggest we open our minds to the possibilities (even if they may be grammatically incorrect).

Are there any other uses of language which are considered grammatically incorrect that cause you to cringe? (I have my fair share).

The Favorite Words of 2000

In the Burridge text, the top ten favorite words of the Brits in the year 2000 varied in type and origin greatly. Some of them were chosen for their sound, some for their meanings, and some were clearly chosen for their origin. For example, the words "quidditch" and "muggle", both from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, were chosen as two of the top ten. I find it to be so interesting that authors of best-sellers can have that much influence on language and words. I hope to be a published author one day, and I hope that my words can have such an influence on a fan base. Before J.K. Rowling wrote these into her books, they either did not exist, like quidditch, or in muggle's case had different meanings. It is frequently said by many that there is a desire to leave our mark after we die, and as someone who loves language and writing I find that being the person to have coined certain words or write something that affects as many people as were clearly affected by the Harry Potter series to be one of the most beautiful marks a person can leave after they have passed.

So I leave you with a question:
If you could coin a term or phrase that will carry on after you have left this life, what would it be and why?

Initial thoughts on the English language...

Reading the text Blooming English for class I particularly enjoyed the idea of infixes. Frequently I use infixes, particularly the offensive ones our author so politely avoided. Its befuddling though how the rules of infixes are unspoken and unwritten, yet still widespread and known. When we hear an infix we know right away it was done correctly or incorrectly. It is painful on the ears if it has been done wrong, and us word lovers cringe and glare at the culprit.

In the meantime, I never really considered these exaggerated words to be "correct" in English, and I certainly did not expect them to have a proper term to describe them. While I truly adore and appreciate the English language in its most formal uses, I cannot stop myself from reveling in the slangs and oddities that are always in abundance, more so everyday. Saying things like "unfuckingbelievable", "ain't", or "dat" feels almost like a release. Formality is great, but the occasional insertion of slang brings me back down to reality. Its funsies.