Allie notices bad grammar and lazy typing. One common mistake we see a lot is to make the words "a lot" into one word, but Allie takes this particular mistake in stride. So that we may all enjoy the joke, she illustrated the Alot.
See the Alot in many different situations at Hyperbole and a Half. Link -via Buzzfeed
The Alot is an imaginary creature that I made up to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people's grammar. It kind of looks like a cross between a bear, a yak and a pug, and it has provided hours of entertainment for me in a situation where I'd normally be left feeling angry and disillusioned with the world.
See the Alot in many different situations at Hyperbole and a Half. Link -via Buzzfeed
And get this, "nother" as in the phrase "a whole nother" has made its way into the dictionaries as an informal usage. It's been around for over a century, in another century it'll be common usage, and in yet a whole nother century, only egghead language professors will know it was once frowned upon.
But oh please, "these ones", yeesh, worse than someone popping gum while clipping their toenails.
Anyway, I believe words are like paints, telling someone they should only use paints in a certain manner seems counter to creativity. I say use words in any manner you see fit. Come up with new phrases, idioms, words, don't let grammar rules dictate how you use words, that's for the stodgy.
(a) It draws attention away from what the person is saying and onto how he or she is saying it. This isn't always a bad thing; it can be used for emphasis or comic effect, but it can also be a distraction that impedes communication. Granted, it's a minor impediment, but if one's speech is peppered with them it can add up to a situation in which you remember how the person speaks more than what the person says.
(b) More importantly, there's a stigma to saying "aks" that can make the listener assume (perhaps unconsciously) that the speaker is uneducated or not terribly bright. In casual, social situations this is no big deal: Your friends know you already, and something like this won't change their opinion of you. In other settings, though, it can be a killer. I think we can all agree that saying "aks" during a job interview, or on a first date, is a bad tactical move. And I'd certainly never hire a lawyer who said "aks" in the courtroom.
In other words: Grammar-Nazis are mistaken to assert that the rules are black and white, but asserting that there are no rules is just as misguided. Language is a tool, and making the most effective use of it requires a thorough understanding of how it works in all different contexts.
To a point, I agree, I purposefully "misuse" language, saying "libary", using "irregardless" (even though it's in the dictionary), y'all, youse, all that purposefully peppers my conversation. I say shame on you for judging someone for their apparent language skills (I might just sneak up on you when you're underestimating you). I'm not saying you should use it in formal writing (although I have often without incident), but without the "uneducated" artists with the language, I say conversations would be pretty boring and would never evolve. We need both and it's rare for one group to be able to perform the requirements of the other.
I'm all for language as a living, changing thing, but kids DO need to learn the rule before they start to PLAY AROUND with them. I don't consider myself a grammar nazi (at least not in practice) but the most important part of language is communication. If we don't all know what the rules are, how are we supposed to understand each other?
So whenever I see people freaking out over the use of "fail," "win," and "THIS," as expressions of sentiment, I kind of get a little upset. The people using these phrases are not necessarily stupid. It's playful and we know what it means.
That said, I greatly enjoy the Grammar Girl podcast. Thinking about and playing with language is fun.
Oh, and I would like them back when you're done with them.
KTHANXBIE
But I like the word "alot." The expression "a lot" is used like a single word in speech, so why not make it a single word in writing?
There's a word we can all use to describe this phenomena of "language constantly evolving over time to serve its users" and that words is -----
::::::::::::drumroll::::::::::::::::::;
"Colloquial". As in "alot" has a "colloquial meaning". Actually, I'm not totally sure if I used it right, but I know I really like this word because it fits its meaning which I have been searching to describe for so long. Don't you love when you find out there's a word for something you have been trying to say? I'll never forget when I discovered the word "pretentious".....sigh.
:)