Their, there, they're...when (and why) grammarians need comfort

There is a joke among some who either study grammar or aim to. "When a grammarian is in distress, one should always say 'they're, there, their' to soothe them". It is a rather amusing joke, and I sure had a laugh of it until I saw IT. The worst abomination of the they're/there/their muddling that I had ever seen. It came from bad grammar and a lack of compassion to those that these mistakes cause pain, I present to you: theiyr're. It's okay, it will get better - I felt that horror too. This causes a cringe of pain in my grammar heart. Some people don't understand the abomination causes pain - a twisting break in my soul that can only be remedied by a hot cup of tea and a good, grammatically-sound book. Well, c'est la vie, and since all is fair in love and war, we must fight against it with all our might. Why allow this to turn the English language into a free-for-all when we can just throw grammars (the book) at people who don't "English" the right way?

This nonsense has gone on long enough, and it's time to make a move - I propose several ideas to aid in the abolition of this egregious error, each a bit more. . . enthusiastic than the last
1. Pass out informational fliers to aid in grammar retention.
2. When someone uses the wrong /ðɛər/ (the IPA spelling of there/their/they're) in writing, make very strongly worded corrections.
3. If someone keeps making mistakes, beat them with a hardcover grammar.
4. Tattoo the correct usages on their body.


Just a reminder, as this isn't that difficult:
There - place
Their - possessive
They're - they are

Finally, NEVER use theiyr're, as it will make those reading the writing prone to automatic failing, wails of despair, and general unhappiness.

(183 words)

Farewell - should we really say good-bye to Olde (Early Modern) English?

Farewell - a term not much used anymore, although it does have a rather interesting meaning. At first glance, one might mistake it as originally meaning fare-ye-well, and it may at one point have meant that, but upon a closer look into a dictionary, it is comprised of the words fare and well, fare having to meaning of someone being in a certain state, and well meaning. . . well, or in a good or fine manner. Close to that entry is fare-thee-well, which apart from a way to say good-bye, means "to do something to a state of perfection", such as "the actor played his part to a fare-thee-well.

As speakers of English in the twenty-first century, there doesn't seem to be much occasion to use these words as often as we might have in the past. After all, saying farewell to someone seems to have an air of finality about it, in a way that saying a simple 'good-bye' does not. It seems almost as if it were from another age, where men and women do not simply laze about with their iPads or a telly tuned to their favorite program.

It hearkens back to a time where people were, for lack of a better term, interested in the lives of people around them as life went on. They would prefer to hear about events in person, rather than seeing it on a screen with a hashtag saying something along the lines of "OMG i cant believe it. #bestdayever!!!" Unfortunately, many people that have grown up with this technology are far too complacent with not using capitalization, punctuation, or proper spelling. Here, we see the death of the apostrophe and cry out for its cruel abandonment. (Here is a link to the Apostrophe Protection Society: http://www.apostrophe.org.uk )

Okay, my "how times have changed" rant is (mostly) over, but the point still stands: by taking some older words, or even words with an older feel, we speakers have changed our language bit by bit. Some changes are great - using contractions are a nice convenience - yet other changes make the language feel (to me) to be a bit impersonal at times. Saying farewell to someone seems to hold a much deeper meaning than if one were to say later, homeslice. The former has a more intimate feel to it, as if the speaker of the words seems to care what they sound like. The latter on the other hand, has the air of disregard, as if the speaker is only saying good-bye because it's expected.

So, my fair Reader, I shall bid thee farewell until the next entry into this illustrious (I wish) blog.

(446 words, OE word never lost)

Pulchritudinous - what can it possibly mean?

Pulchritudinous. What could this possibly mean? When first I saw this word, I was very confused. It sounds more like a sort of illness, or maybe the unpleasant residue left on a shoe from walking through a puddle of something nasty. Imagine my surprise when I looked in a dictionary! It isn’t anything like that at all! Instead of the word describing something from out of a stinking sewer, or some other unenviable location, it meant that the object being described was very beautiful. I admit, that does make more sense based on context, but where does one draw a line for such clues? This word (to me, at least) has a sort of aura about it, especially after gaining knowledge of the meaning. It seems to draw out my very soul. This is the sort of word that makes one want to dissect it, study it, find out what makes it tick. I must ask you, Reader, to draw out the word in your mind. Go ahead, say it. Pulchritudinous. It seems to want to be drawn out, making the word longer, silkier, like a chiffon scarf lightly fluttering in excitement. To say it seems like a caress upon the ears. To think it is a gentle breeze on a lazy summer afternoon.

Just to know the definition, a sweet hint of enlightenment, makes a world of difference in my perception of a word. At first, it seemed a harsh and unflattering word. Now, I see it as classy, refined, a hint of elegance that raises the level of the literature, whether it is read in an online story or in a prestigious first-edition of a classic work.

Cheers,

Elizabeth

“She was embarrassed even by the thought of the man who possessed that pulchritudinous pair of hands” – Blink to Break the Magic, Chapter 3, Mackenzie L, fanfiction.net

Pulchritudinous

[puhl-kri-tood-n-uh s, -tyood-] 

Adjective

1. Physically beautiful; comely.

1910-15, Americanism; < Latin pulchritūdin- (stem of pulchritūdō) + -ous


Update: 7 Sept. 2015 - After talking about this entry, I realized what it was that made it seem like such a dark word. It seems similar at a glance to "sepulchre" or "putrid", so this may have had something to do with my first impression of the word.

(words: 376)

Hello!

Welcome to Words of Mine, a blog where I will be posting about random word-related musings, interesting words, where they came from, and the history behind them. With that, I bid you adieu, as I search for new topics to put on here.