Illiterates

Lately I’ve done a lot of shouting at my television set—especially at commercials that seem to encourage language misuse or at well-known program hosts who call two female guests “guys” with no man (except the host) in sight. Growing up I often thought our entire country would benefit if sportscasters learned to speak proper English—even if only the American version of proper English. For those of us old enough to remember baseball announcer Dizzy Dean, think “slud” instead of “slid.”

The commercials I find most offensive are those using “less” when they mean “fewer” and “as tall as me” when they mean “as tall as I am.” And then there’s the cartoon woman who only “shrunk” one size while her husband “shrunk six.” In books, I’m tired of being thrown out of the story by “alright” and “blonde” men. A man and a woman may both have blond (adjective) hair. A man may also be a blond, but a woman is a blonde (noun).

Yes, I realize language evolves. But how can we expect our children and grandchildren to sound like intelligent individuals when pop culture—commercials, rappers and even books—glorify inaccurate language use?

Climbing off my soapbox now. Thanks for letting me vent.

Dee Brice

Romance: A Hint of Humor; A Lot of Heat