People say "irregardless" all the time. It's so caustic, I want to throttle them.
Anyone else think the same?
2007-02-19 03:17:34 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
If stupid people had signs, it would save time, right? Well, consider this a sign, so you can avoid serious conversations with them. We should be grateful for the warning.
2007-02-19 03:22:27 · answer #1 · answered by roscoedeadbeat 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it does sound strange to use this word instead of the correct 'regardless'. I too am not in favor of using this word. However, according to the dictionary that is a part of Yahoo Reference, this word has become 'nonstandard' in its use.
I have quoted below the exact wording from that dictionary for your information. It seems that the usage has come to stay -at least in the US-and we may have to accept this as one of the 'standard' words in the near future.
(quote from the dictionary)
"Probably blend of irrespective , and regardless
Usage Note:
Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so".
2007-02-19 03:30:57 · answer #2 · answered by greenhorn 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Presumably they're mixing up irrespective and regardless, and are "irregardless" of the mistake. I also get annoyed when people add an extra syllable to nuclear, and say "nuke-yer-ler". Bah, humbug!
Hah, reminds me of a great sketch by Fry and Laurie. Fry corrects a grammatical error made by Laurie who says "ooh, you're such a pedanticist", to which Fry replies,"I think you'll find the word is pedant".
2007-02-19 03:43:23 · answer #3 · answered by Shona L 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can see how this might seem mildly irritating but I can't see how this would be "caustic". But yes, I do agree that when people use words improperly or out of context it shows that they have more to learn about the english language.
2007-02-19 06:24:12 · answer #4 · answered by Rain 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be tolerant of people who do not have the mastery of the English language, in the same manner that they are tolerant of our ignorance of their own language. If these persons use English as their primary language then, go ahead and throttle them...!!? Perhaps they deserve it...??!!
2007-02-19 03:26:46 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
yes they sound retarded.
people say close proximity regardless of the fact that it is redundant
2007-02-19 03:26:16 · answer #6 · answered by just me 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋