Why do Americans say they 'could care less'

[nekokami]

Originally Posted by Taylor514ce

Because "Could've" and "could of" SOUND the same, and most people simply transcribe what they think they hear. That's also the explanation for "use to" instead of "used to".

Yeah, I know. Except if people would slow down a bit and think about what they're saying, they might be less likely to make this error.

Originally Posted by Daithi

"yoost too"

For a minute there, I thought you were talking about "youse two", the interesting second person plural used in some parts of the US. I actually have some sympathy for that one, because it fits a grammatical purpose and is used consistently.

[krisk]

my grandmother taught english at several reservation schools. she was an absolute stickler for proper language usage. not only was my dad raised with those mandates, he later became an attorney. poor grammar was not an option at my house.

and, her students sounded like they were graduates of the toughest 4 year university.

[vicwong48]

I had to register (although I'm a long time lurker) to add my pet peeve which I'm surprised no one has brought up. Why do people misspell "definitely" as "defiantly"? I could understand more common typos, confusing i's and e's, silent letters, etc., but how does this process turn into a completely different word? (Boy, you really have to be careful when you're contributing to a grammar thread!)

[DTM]

Originally Posted by vicwong48

... Why do people misspell "definitely" as "defiantly"? I could understand more common typos, confusing i's and e's, silent letters, etc., but how does this process turn into a completely different word?...

You may be misreading it. I have not seen that error, but "definately" is so common, I'm wondering how long it will be until it's considered an acceptable spelling.

[thibaulthalpern]

Originally Posted by HarryT

OK - another question for our American friends. I've heard a number of Americans use the expression "my bad", with the apparent meaning "I have made a mistake". Why "my bad"? "Bad" is an adjective, not a noun; the phrase is grammatically meaningless .

I'm not sure but I think this comes from African American English which has been wholly adopted into certain typical American English.

Sometimes I find American slang irritating. Perhaps it's because I grew up with British English and now living in the U.S. there are some changes that irritates me while other changes don't.

[GeoffC]

I find the use of meter to indicate length, highly irritating....

[Lady Blue]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

I find the use of meter to indicate length, highly irritating....

I find many American words, and catch phrases irritating. I can't stand the use of "my bad" for one. It sounds like something a toddler would say and the parent of said child thought it was cute and started using it in adult conversation, and maybe it caught on from there. Many adults with kids use toddler language with other adults and I think it's rediculous. I didn't even let my toddler use toddler language as a toddler. Why do parents substitute a dumb baby word for a perfectly valid normal-use word when raising children? That irritates the bejesus (bi-jee-zuhs) out of me. (Takes a deep breath and counts to 10 to calm down.)

Back on track: I never say "could care less." I have always used the form "couldn't care less" or the alternate "ask me if I care?"

I also get annoyed with people who seem not to have a clue that what comes out of their mouth is just plain wrong. Or they hear a word they like, don't know how to use it correctly but use it anyway. I'm sure we all know someone who mangles the English language. I know one who does it consistenly. To hear her tell it: blah, blah, blah was hilariously funny . . . blah, blah over-inundated with work . . . blah, blah irregardless . . . someone in the hospital had to use a decatheter . . . she needed to replace the cadillac converter in her car. And she writes things like: I have no ideal what that person was doing . . . we're having a can food drive to distribute non-perishable foods to the local communities thru a non-for profit charity for under privilege children through out the community through the help of . . .

Additionally, she admits to being anal in demanding that everything needs to be done correct before . . .

Jeeeezzzze

I'm exposed every day and every day to these (insert name here)-isms. Sometimes I just want to scream.

That's what I'll do. I'm gonna go scream now.

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by DTM

<DTM places his fingernails on the blackboard and slowly begins to pull...>

"Could of", "would of", "should of"

Need I say more?

Actually, the more common usage is :

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda."

It's not a bad saying and does have some use contextually. The problems arise when you try to take colloquiallisms and put them in print. I once had a voice teacher tell me to enunciate each word while singing as if I were having tea with the queen or I was an upper-class debutante who had taken diction lessons. That advice should be applied when we are putting things down on paper, although more in a grammatical context.

One of my pet peeves is, "continue on." Of course you are going to continue ON. It's not as if you can continue OFF!! I know many people who use the phrase verbally but I honestly can't remember ever seeing it in print. Well...besides here!

As a side note: I can't imagine the U.S. is the only country where our speaking grammar has taken a beating over the years. I would think that it is a fairly common occurence. I know I don't hear people in England today speaking like they did when Jane Austen penned her novels. For better or worse, we've all seemed to have adapted a more casual way of speaking. For which, frankly, I am grateful. And, to be honest, does it really matter whether the phrases we use make sense to anyone other than to the person or people to whom we are speaking? -- I actually would have written "people who we are speaking to" which is how I probably would have said it if I had been in a verbal conversation.

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Lady Blue

I find many American words, and catch phrases irritating. I can't stand the use of "my bad" for one. It sounds like something a toddler would say and the parent of said child thought it was cute and started using it in adult conversation, and maybe it caught on from there. Many adults with kids use toddler language with other adults and I think it's rediculous. I didn't even let my toddler use toddler language as a toddler. Why do parents substitute a dumb baby word for a perfectly valid normal-use word when raising children? That irritates the bejesus (bi-jee-zuhs) out of me. (Takes a deep breath and counts to 10 to calm down.)

Back on track: I never say "could care less." I have always used the form "couldn't care less" or the alternate "ask me if I care?"

I also get annoyed with people who seem not to have a clue that what comes out of their mouth is just plain wrong. Or they hear a word they like, don't know how to use it correctly but use it anyway. I'm sure we all know someone who mangles the English language. I know one who does it consistenly. To hear her tell it: blah, blah, blah was hilariously funny . . . blah, blah over-inundated with work . . . blah, blah irregardless . . . someone in the hospital had to use a decatheter . . . she needed to replace the cadillac converter in her car. And she writes things like: I have no ideal what that person was doing . . . we're having a can food drive to distribute non-perishable foods to the local communities thru a non-for profit charity for under privilege children through out the community through the help of . . .

Additionally, she admits to being anal in demanding that everything needs to be done correct before . . .

Jeeeezzzze

I'm exposed every day and every day to these (insert name here)-isms. Sometimes I just want to scream.

That's what I'll do. I'm gonna go scream now.

When I was growing up, my parents always said, "If you think . . . you've got another thing coming!" For years, I thought the phrase was "thing coming". Now, of course, I know it's "think coming", but it's a hard habit to break.
Kaz

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by kazbates

When I was growing up, my parents always said, "If you think . . . you've got another thing coming!" For years, I thought the phrase was "thing coming". Now, of course, I know it's "think coming", but it's a hard habit to break.
Kaz

I once posted here on Mobileread the phrase "don't cut your nose off despite your face." Ain't it grand to look like a total arse and to do it writing.

[DTM]

Originally Posted by kazbates

Actually, the more common usage is :

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda." ...

Sorry, I didn't make that clear.

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda" is a legitimate colloquialism, and I have no problem with that in informal speech. I quoted them separately (hoping) to indicate the very common constructions you see in writing along the lines of, "I would of bought a Sony Reader, but they're too expensive."

My bad.

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by Daithi

I once posted here on Mobileread the phrase "don't cut your nose off despite your face." Ain't it grand to look like a total arse and to do it writing.

Nah!! You didn't look that way! That was just a typo! That's our story and we're sticking to it!!

Originally Posted by DTM

Sorry, I didn't make that clear.

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda" is a legitimate colloquialism, and I have no problem with that in informal speech. I quoted them separately (hoping) to indicate the very common constructions you see in writing along the lines of, "I would of bought a Sony Reader, but they're too expensive."

My bad.

You did I fine job with your example. I was just putting my midwestern spin on it!

Kaz

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Lady Blue

I find many American words, and catch phrases irritating. I can't stand the use of "my bad" for one. It sounds like something a toddler would say and the parent of said child thought it was cute and started using it in adult conversation, and maybe it caught on from there.

I associate the expression with smart dialogue since I probably heard if for the first time in the movie Clueless. The advantage of not hearing the expression all the time...

Another strange expression is "the same difference" (which I probably first heard in the movie Heathers) for things that are similar.

[fugazied]

The one I hate, is the American use of 'is'. Even the president does it!!!
"What I hate is, is the inappropriate use of is".

[Daithi]

BTW, is it only Americans that say 'could care less' or are there large numbers of stupid (eh, grammatically lazy) people on your side of the pond too?