The way some people (often from "over the pond") say "I/he/they could care less" when they clearly should be saying "I/he/they couldn't care less" indicating they care so little that it is impossible for them to care less.
And the use of "alternate" instead of "alternative".
Just me then.
2006-10-16 08:11:31 · 25 answers · asked by ordiofile 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Yes, it does bug me. Those are just two expressions of so many which one hears on the American TV for which I suppose we should be grateful where we live because that is the main source of our entertainment. A newscaster was once telling of a traffic problem and advised motorists to find "alternate routs". I'm afraid that I laughed out loud.
2006-10-16 08:23:09 · answer #1 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Gosh,I hadn't noticed this . I'm not so keen on bad spelling . Sometimes it's so difficult to read you have to struggle to understand the question.
I have heard TV presenters using "alternate" for "alternative" though , so I suspect we're stuck with that one!
Are they leaving off the beginning of the phrase and is it
"As if" I could care less?
M
2006-10-16 08:20:04 · answer #2 · answered by mesmerized 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the same as those who say " I ain't got nothing".
It is an idiom which has crept into our speech and has become accepted. All we can do is to do our small part to keep integrity in the language alive by using it properly ourselves.
If I mean it, I say, "I could NOT care less," with the emphasis
on not. That makes it crystal clear.
I'm glad I am not the only one who this bothers.
2006-10-16 08:32:40 · answer #3 · answered by True Blue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey, you're so right about that. I mean it doesn't make sense when they say that, the same as they say "I'm pissed" when they're angry. Something I hate even more is when people put a k at the end of nothing (nothink). People don't care about the Queen's English any more, which is a shame.
2006-10-16 08:25:20 · answer #4 · answered by Twisty 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In American English it is proper to use alternate in lieu of alternative. They are synonyms according to Merriam-Webster. In fact, the dictionary uses the example "alternate route."
2006-10-16 08:40:27 · answer #5 · answered by Tara P 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, also annoying is the word gotten instead of got. Also people who say pacifically when really they mean specifically. The Pacific is an ocean!
2006-10-16 08:20:07 · answer #6 · answered by Ratley 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hey, maybe they actually could care less...maybe it's a hint that they really do care...:)
2006-10-16 08:23:56 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
guilty, guess I am way over the pond, but that is okay.
I do say "I could care less."
call 911, sorry.
2006-10-16 08:19:39 · answer #8 · answered by debi_0712 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There's alot of accents that are lazy, but i suppose without them we would all speak the same and we would have a lack of indentity and also nothing to irritate us!
2006-10-16 08:18:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah, that irks me somewhat. "Bug" irks me to a small extent when it's used in place of "insect", and what about "me either" instead of "me neither"? That's slightly annoying too!
2006-10-16 08:18:09 · answer #10 · answered by Kango Man 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋