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.

[khalulu]

It took me a moment to see what your question was, which tells me cliché as an adjective (in place of clichéd) seems like a common or acceptable variant to me. Cliché originated as a French past participle, after all (from the verb clicher, to stereotype, Google Translate informs me), and could be considered to be borrowed as such for use as an adjective, similar to passé. So I guess it is common in the US but not universal nor universally accepted.

Here's an article that might be of interest, with an Ngram of "so cliché" vs "so clichéd" usage. http://throwgrammarfromthetrain.blogspot.com/2011/09/thats-so-cliched.html

Here's a post from someone who apparently writes a blog about grammar, which uses both forms apparently without noticing! (Compare 2nd and final paragraphs) http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2014/stay-away-from-these-5-cliche-endings/

ETA: I see you brought up the French part while I was composing my answer!

[josephinestone.livejournal.com]

I have never heard or seen clichéd in my life. Only cliché. I had no idea you could put the d on the end. If its regional: mid-west and Texas.

[karinmollberg.livejournal.com]

Much as I love that last sentence, may I recommend to put this Q. up at linguaphiles where you have thousands of speakers of the most various local forms of Engrish on whose advice you may choose to rely or not, though some will deny the very existence of such easy readymade distinctions as 'British English' and 'American English', insisting there is only one Real English namely their own but there is most often such an amount of input to Q.s that you could pick and choose your very own dialect such as I do with Mollberg Speak for instance (the best there is to day ) and by introducing it to the world, the latter has improved so much, notwithstandingly, I mean.

[divertazsc.livejournal.com]

Southerners hardly ever used cliched, we always say "that's such a cliche". But we don't really speak like anyone else in the country. Correct grammar is an anomaly in the deep south.

[ozdobe.livejournal.com]

How about toilets? Mens and Womens. There is a lot of money invested in those signs.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

Second-generation Californian here, and I had to click through to the comments to figure out what you thought was odd about "That's such a cliché ending."

[incandescent.livejournal.com]

Here on the East Coast, it's "I couldn't care less".

"That's so cliche" or "That's such a cliche ending" is not as frequently used. The former more in my area than the latter. It does tend to have a snobby, West Coast kind of vibe to it. So if you say it, prepare to pile on the disdain. :)

[auntpurl.livejournal.com]

In Philadelphia, it's cliché - never clichéd that I've seen/heard. And I had to make an adjustment when I moved to London because the American pronunciation follows the French - with the accent at the end of the word. The Brits saying CLEE-shay really confused me. :)

[noeon.livejournal.com]

This post is very fun to witness. *smiles and waves like a lexicographic loon*