I could care less

dtaylor
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Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:15 pm

'Inflatable Hover-fort' (!) God love David Mitchell, he's fast becoming a national treasure.


michelew
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Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:33 pm

BigBear wrote:
Tony- there are a couple of possible reasons we Yanks say this.

First, it means that, in fact, we could care less about whatever the subject is but in this case we don't (care less).

Or, when the English gave us a perfectly usable language to use, we Americans butchered it with slang, jargon, and grammatical errors to the point even we don't recognize it most of time!!

Either way, it's just one of so many ways we've twisted the language to our own uses and really screwed it up!!!!

Crikey!!! :lol:
Well...you're not alone. Aussies are perfectly capable of butchering the English language too. One particular favourite of mine is the use of "think" in the place of "thing" and "thing" instead of "think". Even well educated people are doing it now. It drives me CRAZY! :blink: :S What are they THINK(G)ING!

And don't even get me started on "ask" and "arcs". I can feel my blood pressure increasing just typing those two.

So sorry, but you Yanks are just not that special, :) :P we're good at screw ups too.

M.


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Music Junkie
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Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:54 pm

michelew wrote:
So sorry, but you Yanks are just not that special, :) :P we're good at screw ups too.

M.
LMAO Shel...... I think the whole world is crazy..... Lucy, you have some splaining to do......... :woohoo:


michelew
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Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:58 pm

And then there are a whole HEAP of ways in which those with ... let's call them 'imaginative' minds can take a completely innocent meaning and COMPLETELY.... (trying to avoid sus word that starts with s and ends in w) ... origami it into something that bears no resemblance to the original one. B) :P :P :P


michelew
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Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:06 pm

thereshopeyet wrote:


:laugh: :laugh:
Love it!


michelew
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Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:00 am

tovo wrote:
I really want to ask....why do you guys in the States say "I could care less"?? We say "I couldn't care less" meaning "I couldn't care less about that if I tried". Whereas in the States you say "I could care less" (about that). I don't get that. Anyone?? I'm just interested to see if anyone knows, not taking a shot a anyone.
BTW Tony, I've always found it strange too.


tovo
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Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:01 am

Thanks for the lively chat! Honestly, I was asking because I thought someone might be able to explain that Americans deliberately say "I could care less" and tell me why. Happy to know it's just a butchering...and as Shel rightly points out, we can do it really well also.

Dermot the video is priceless. He articulated it beautifully.


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Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:51 am

Not completely related, but always good for a smile.....



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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:16 pm

Ha! Don't get me started! :-) Two countries dived by a common language for sure.

A few thoughts:

The plot thickens... guess which is one of if not the fastest growing languages in the world today. Just look at the options you get when you select English in some programmes... sheer endless! As the world turned to English as the common language for business and computing etc it has opened to endless additions and adaptations from every other language under the sun and it will continue to morph. Every language is growing day to day.

Shel: My Dad who came from Great Yarmouth used to say ast instead of ask. My best friend says anythink and everthink :-).

Where would pop and rock songs be without the appalling grammar and annunciation. Imagine Can't Get No Satisfaction in the Queen's English! I notice that on the BBC its all regional accents these day and no QE any more at all (thank God!).

And the grammar police should read Steven Pinker (The Language Instinct) ... he points out that if a group of people all use the language the same way, then its grammatical, so ghetto speak and the above mentioned violations are not really. ;-)

Slow weekend at TG? How we love these things ;-)

... oh, and folks so often don't say what they really mean, I'm always listening for the intent behind the words anyway...


sbutler
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Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:13 pm

tovo wrote:
Thanks for the lively chat! Honestly, I was asking because I thought someone might be able to explain that Americans deliberately say "I could care less" and tell me why. Happy to know it's just a butchering...and as Shel rightly points out, we can do it really well also.

Dermot the video is priceless. He articulated it beautifully.
Well Tony, I'm a northern Yank, transplanted from the mid-west and I, like Neil, get really bothered when I hear "could care less".

When I first met my wife, "who is from the south", she asked if there was room on the far end of the kitchen counter to "plug up" the bread toaster. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to plug up the toaster if they had any intention of toasting bread. What she meant was "plug it in". We say the stupidest things.
Scott


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