Comments | imbecamiel: Just... no.

imbecamiel

Just... no.

May 24, 2008 09:59

Y'know, baby seals are cute and all, but what we really need to be focusing on is SAVING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

Ahem.

But I'll get to that in a minute - first, some good news. It appears that three LOTR actors have now been approached about being in the Hobbit: Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Viggo Mortensen. Eee! The only one I've heard is officially ( Read more... )

lord of the rings, editing, the hobbit, obsession, writing, geekiness, rant

Comments 9

scarvenartist May 24 2008, 20:01:15 UTC

I love that one comment to his post that just says, "'Boooooooo.'" With the quotations marks around it. *delighted giggling* Sooo...should one take that as emphasis, scare quotes, what someone else thinks, or all of the above?

Good grief though, this guy...he really does think he's right, doesn't he? I mean, on the one hand, I'm all for the evolution of the English language by the incorporation of words on the fringes ("snark" really should be in the dictionary), but this is insane, and not to mention confusing. And in advertising, or in any kind of writing, you don't want someone to be confused between opposites as polar as EMPHASIS and "uncertainty ( ... )

scarvenartist May 24 2008, 20:03:26 UTC

Oh, and the casting for the Hobbit! I forgot to squee about that! *squees* That would be awesome if they worked some of Aragorn's thread into it.... *loffs*

imbecamiel May 27 2008, 04:40:49 UTC

Heh... yeah, it kinda boggles the mind. I mean, really, I'm with you: I'm all for the English language growing and changing, and I'm quite aware of usages that are changing (for instance, the growing acceptance of both "alright" and "all right" as correct, despite, technically, "all right" being the correct form) - hey, some of those changes I welcome. But you just... Argh.

One person has finally responded who's in agreement with the author. Basically, he thinks that everyone who sees themself as a "guardian of grammar" just likes the sense of power and superiority and object to anyone who doesn't use the language "as they intended". And, according to him, those grammar snobs will soon find themselves left very alone, grasping desperately to their archaic rules as the tides of language sweep on without them... or something. He really thinks we should just take more of an observational approach to language - pretty much, there's no way you can beat 'em (or teach them all) so you should just go along with it, instead of insisting that ( ... )

scarvenartist May 27 2008, 14:00:32 UTC

"Alright" is still something I can't force myself to use, for some reason...though it by no means bothers me. It just feels...smashed together or something when I type it out like that. *laughs*

And, according to him, those grammar snobs will soon find themselves left very alone, grasping desperately to their archaic rules as the tides of language sweep on without them... or something.Er...well, okay, on the one hand, I see his point. If there were still people desperately hanging on to the use of capitals for nearly ever abstract noun, or utterly archaic spellings, that would be rather pitiful. But...oh, my, taking the "observational" approach to language would certainly result in anarchy ( ... )

Thread 5

nefhiriel May 26 2008, 14:49:52 UTC

Well, all I can say is, I'm eternally grateful for people like you, who keep people like me on the straight and narrow. Continue to preserve our language, in all its maddening, befuddling, flabbergasting confuddelingness (I say that all most fondly, I assure you) (oh, and I made up that word just for you).

Hee.

Oh, and I just have to publicly let a few squees loose over Viggo Mortensen being contacted! *does so in ear-piercing decibels* As dearly as I love Legolas, I think I've been more anxious to see Aragorn again. *huggles dearly beloved ranger* ‘Course, I wouldn’t mind terribly if Orlando Bloom was next to be put on the list contacted actors…

Work. On. Your. Story. *glowers* After our Indiana Jones marathon, I’m thinkin’ I need a bullwhip. *smirk* Keep up production, OR ELSE. >:)

imbecamiel May 27 2008, 04:43:52 UTC

Aww, a new word just for me. *huggles Neffie* :D

Well, according to what I've heard now, they'd really like to get pretty much all of the LOTR actors to reprise their roles in the Hobbit. Not sure in what form exactly, or how, but... Eee! Looks rather promising for Legolas...

And I'M WORKING ON IT! ;D

ella_beth May 26 2008, 16:51:00 UTC

*head-desk* Oh geez. You said this all already and way more articulately then I'm gonna, but I MUST express my opinion. My grammar and spelling are terrible (I abuse apostrophes copiously. Ellipses too, along with commas and other helpful grammar marks,) but even I know that there are plenty of acceptable tools in the English language, and even in slang and web-slang, to emphasize stuff.

(par example: italics Ooo! How nifty is that! Hey, exclamation points! Another one! We're on a roll! Gasp! ANOTHER! *is buried under endless ways to write something in such a way as to draw more attention to it*)

However, if ignorant beings think it's cute to put quotation marks around everything and sundry they want to emphasize, simpletons like me are going to be searching their writings looking for whom the idiots are quoting and coming up with a big fat disappointed zero. It could get messy ( ... )

imbecamiel May 27 2008, 05:10:18 UTC

Argh, I know. It just irritates me so much! (Yes, I know. I'm an editor - I get really upset over punctuation. It's not normal, maybe, but it's what I do. ;P ( ... )