Quick Question for Americans

[blamebrampton]

I have a usage question, fingers crossed there are a couple of people ambling by who can answer it.

I know that the use of 'I could care less' for 'I couldn't care less' is regional in the US (it's confusing to the rest of us, but once you know it exists and isn't an ironic turning of the phrase, it's easily understood, so no wuckers (as about 11 Australians still say).)

HOWEVER, I see an enormous amount of 'That's such a cliché ending,' but I don't know whether that's US standard, like aluminum*, or US regional like could care less.

Help!


* I'd say it was all Noah Webster's fault, which it pretty much is, but Humphry Davy started the whole palaver. I read an hilarious blog about ten years ago with a British scientist ranting about the fact that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's ruling in favour of aluminium was broadly ignored in the US. 'Fine!' he wrote. 'In that case, Sulphur! SULPHUR! Phuck you all!'

Comments

[azurelunatic]

My hobby is setting on fire the writing of people who use "cliché" where it should be "clichéd". I was also raised by a grammar fanatic, in Alaska. It may be regionally accepted, but that doesn't make it right.

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

Not much help as Canadian, but up here we say cliched (pretend there's an accent there). Although, it depends on the sentence structure. While I would say "That's such a cliched ending," I would also say, "That ending was so cliche." So I'm super not helpful! lol

Also, hi!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Hello! I was just thinking of you due to comment answering ;-) Well, I was just limping around the market looking at all the stalls that weren't there because of the weather, but in general ... and thank you, helpful stuff!

[napchic.livejournal.com]

"I would also say, "That ending was so cliche."

Exactly this!
*makes vague pointy hand motion*

Also, by some miracle... because we U.S. southerners don't speak English as much as we speak something I like to call 'Merican...
Sorry, I digress.

By some miracle, most people I hear around these parts manage to say,
"I couldn't care less."

Although, more often you'll hear,
"I ownt givafuck. Now shut yer ass up."

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

And now I have to answer you like a much kookier person than I like to be, because I both agree totally and totally disagree.

The grammarian in me, who is driven by functional grammar and can tell you at great length why proscriptive rulings have often been historically mad, says, 'Oh, what's right is what's used and understood, and this one has such wide usage it has to go in the acceptable basket.'

But the rest of me is with you in the 'FFS, it's ONE extra letter and no extra syllables!' camp ;-)

It's probably not laziness, though – it looks like it's another holdover from French, which the US adheres to in loan words much more strongly than British English, especially in pronunciation. Aside from the occasional periods of Freedom Fries craziness, you've always had a strong Francophile bent in the US, language-wise at least. You wild sophisticates!

[azurelunatic]

My inner descriptivist and inner prescriptivist have monthly pitched battles. Heh.

And it's one keyboard standard letter! (é is a good friend of mine, but I am understanding when people find it difficult to express letters which are not on their region's default keyboards. However, when I met the large iron directional sign at work which read Cafe', there were words exchanged with the department responsible for arranging for expensive permanent signs without grammar checking.)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I hear you! I find myself having to exchange brains depending on whether I am upholding style guide at work, beta-ing in fandom, or writing on words or grammar for mags, books or text books. No wonder I'm increasingly unable to find my sunglasses!

But there's no excuse for Cafe'. Unless they really wanted to give everyone a laugh ;-)

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Oh I dunno. Maybe they thought it was short for 'cafeteria' and shoved in an apostrophe to replace the missing word end?