Archive for December, 2008
the inability to speak proper english
i feel the need to first mention that i am no linguist, and that i certainly do not have the largest vocabulary or greatest grammar in the world. regardless, there are a few words and phrases that literally make my skin crawl when i hear someone say them. in fact, i lose a bit of respect for the person uttering them. i once had a conversation with my father in which i asked him if it were shallow that i was about to stop seeing a man because of how inarticulate he was and the fact that a second grader could compose a more eloquent email. (literally, words were severely misspelled to the point that they were unrecognizable, sentences were missing verbs… the list goes on. example “how doing tody?” interpretation: “how are you doing today?”) dad said that it was not shallow because i valued educated men and found education, wit, sarcasm, and knowledgeable humor to be attractive traits. therefore, i feel entirely justified in my gripe because dad said it was ok.
i was interviewed one time by a man who used the following words over and over again. i was unable to concentrate on the interview because of my intense focus on the incorrect pronunciation.
“supposebly” (supposedly)
“expecially” (especially)
“excape” (escape)
“nucular” (nuclear)
“upmost” (utmost)
“excetera” (et cetera)
am i the only one who has an issue with this? does anyone else have this complete lack of respect for people who cannot formulate a sentence properly, or mispronounce common words on a regular basis? i was told a story about a guy who applied for a refrigeration technician job, and although the man was the most qualified for the position based on experience, the employer refused to hire him for one reason. When the prospective technician submitted his resume, the receptionist asked him to write the position he sought in the top margin so that she could direct it to the correct manager. He hastily scribbled “r-e-f-r-i-d-g-e-r-a-t-i-o-n t-e-c-h-n-i-c-i-a-n” above his name and handed it to her. He heard nothing back from the company for weeks and was completely puzzled since he knew his resume was extremely strong. The secretary passed him to the hiring manager who said one thing only to him: “I will never hire someone who cannot spell the name of the position they desire.”
again, let me reiterate that i do not claim to have the most amazing grammar, spelling, or pronunciation. in fact, it is probably lacking a bit. but please please please… pronounce the easy words correctly! it’ll make me feel so much better! and will likely make me respect you much more than the die-hard Napoleon Dynamite fans.