I fully expect this blog post to put me in a minority here, as I see this kind of language happening all around me. But I’m sure I can’t be the only one … please, tell me I’m not the only one …
In full disclosure, I have a background as an editor, and at times it has been my job to make sure spelling and grammar mistakes do not creep into articles I am paid to read. As a result, I edit everything. Cereal boxes. Postcards from companies. Netflix reviews. Everything.
Let me also say I’m not a stickler. I do understand typos and other small mistakes, depending on the media – and I am certainly guilty of making these mistakes myself. I have found many typos in my own blog posts, after publishing, that irritate me. Usually they happen as a result of me typing something, deciding to change part of the sentence, and then forgetting to delete that extra comma that’s no longer needed. If you send me a text message with a typo, I’m not going to flog you. Have a typo in a status update? It’s ok.
That said, it’s the mistakes on purpose that really get me. If you read like I do (and I know some of you do) then you know how many accidental mistakes occur in general communication. So why introduce new mistakes on purpose?
I’m talking about words such as:
kitteh teh meh bah (those last two more for how apathetic they make you sound while using them) itteh commitehI could go on but even looking at these words is driving me nuts. You get the point. So, those of you who use these words and who are not 10 years old, please tell me – why? And am I the only one that thinks it’s super-annoying to have to read it all over the place?
Comments
30 responses to “Why your “meh”s make me cringe”
I was just waiting for you to write about this 🙂 The ‘lolspeak’ meme started years ago and, I’ll admit that at first I thought it was kind of annoying, but hanging with gamers, geeks and other internet junkie friends kinda made it grow on me. Suddenly I found myself saying ‘lol’ offline. Sad. But funny at the same time. Then sad again…
The Lolcat says, “I can has cheeseburger?”
w00t! 😉
.-= Chris´s last blog ..What an experience! =-.
I was just waiting for you to write about this 🙂 The ‘lolspeak’ meme started years ago and, I’ll admit that at first I thought it was kind of annoying, but hanging with gamers, geeks and other internet junkie friends kinda made it grow on me. Suddenly I found myself saying ‘lol’ offline. Sad. But funny at the same time. Then sad again…
The Lolcat says, “I can has cheeseburger?”
w00t! 😉
.-= Chris´s last blog ..What an experience! =-.
I’ve learned to live with “meh” from our 14-yr-old, but I’m with you. Do we not have a vocabulary, people? Spellcheck?
.-= Rick´s last blog ..… is in the details =-.
I’ve learned to live with “meh” from our 14-yr-old, but I’m with you. Do we not have a vocabulary, people? Spellcheck?
.-= Rick´s last blog ..… is in the details =-.
I will type lol, but if I am talking to people I just, well, laugh. Out loud, even.
Funny stuff, really. err…
I will type lol, but if I am talking to people I just, well, laugh. Out loud, even.
Funny stuff, really. err…
I’m OK with “kitteh” simply because I feel like I can kind of see a cat using that particular word. I guess I consider it more of a foreign language than I do an annoying obstruction of our English language.
The others, I’m right there with you about!
While I think “I can has cheesburger?” is at times funny, I simply don’t understand how it got started. And why a cheesburger?
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
I’m OK with “kitteh” simply because I feel like I can kind of see a cat using that particular word. I guess I consider it more of a foreign language than I do an annoying obstruction of our English language.
The others, I’m right there with you about!
While I think “I can has cheesburger?” is at times funny, I simply don’t understand how it got started. And why a cheesburger?
.-= Whitney´s last blog ..ICB: What is a Wedding Guest List REALLY about? =-.
I’ve always thought this was a generation gap issue. My sister and most of her friends were born in 1985 and she uses “lolspeak” constantly. I am nearly 5 years older than her and I’m with you – I’ve never understood why you’d speak (or write) like that!
.-= Christina´s last blog ..NaNoWriMo Reveal #3 =-.
I’ve always thought this was a generation gap issue. My sister and most of her friends were born in 1985 and she uses “lolspeak” constantly. I am nearly 5 years older than her and I’m with you – I’ve never understood why you’d speak (or write) like that!
.-= Christina´s last blog ..NaNoWriMo Reveal #3 =-.
Like, it is totally here to stay. People will talk like this, like, for-ever. Like, totally.
Like, it is totally here to stay. People will talk like this, like, for-ever. Like, totally.
These words would also annoy me because I don’t know what any of them mean 🙂
These words would also annoy me because I don’t know what any of them mean 🙂
@Crystal:
kitteh: Kitty
teh: the
meh: an awful sound someone emits to show that they are apathetic about whatever has been said. Like, “Do you want to go to the store?” “Meh.”
bah: another awful sound, meaning tiredness, boredom, frustration. Like, “Another meeting. Bah.”
itteh: itty
commiteh: committee
Look them all up here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/
(explaining this made me cringe again, for the record.)
Oh, and to clarify: I do not mind LOL or ur or anything else that shortens writing, in the right setting (twitter, facebook, text.)
However, I can’t believe anyone would actually SAY “LOL.”
omg.
@Crystal:
kitteh: Kitty
teh: the
meh: an awful sound someone emits to show that they are apathetic about whatever has been said. Like, “Do you want to go to the store?” “Meh.”
bah: another awful sound, meaning tiredness, boredom, frustration. Like, “Another meeting. Bah.”
itteh: itty
commiteh: committee
Look them all up here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/
(explaining this made me cringe again, for the record.)
Oh, and to clarify: I do not mind LOL or ur or anything else that shortens writing, in the right setting (twitter, facebook, text.)
However, I can’t believe anyone would actually SAY “LOL.”
omg.
Oh, and I so have to quote Justin, who wrote this on my Facebook page re the blog:
“Replying with meh is like saying, “I’m both unimaginative and arrogant.”
Oh, and I so have to quote Justin, who wrote this on my Facebook page re the blog:
“Replying with meh is like saying, “I’m both unimaginative and arrogant.”
I’m more likely to give things like that a pass on Twitter or whatever, but they don’t have any place in blog posts or professional writing.
My biggest annoyance on Twitter is when ppl shrink words they cld have spld out w/o any effort and still hv bn under the 140 char lmt.
Hate that!
.-= Elwood´s last blog ..Bookmark =-.
I’m more likely to give things like that a pass on Twitter or whatever, but they don’t have any place in blog posts or professional writing.
My biggest annoyance on Twitter is when ppl shrink words they cld have spld out w/o any effort and still hv bn under the 140 char lmt.
Hate that!
.-= Elwood´s last blog ..Bookmark =-.
I’m with you on everything except the “meh.” somedays it just describes how I’m feeling… I see my cousin’s young friends using that in place of “me,” though, and THAT definitely makes me cringe!
I’m with you on everything except the “meh.” somedays it just describes how I’m feeling… I see my cousin’s young friends using that in place of “me,” though, and THAT definitely makes me cringe!
You kids have it so easy today. I remember back when we only had 140 characters to type messages to each other!
I+ (OUL|) |3E W0RSE. |_33+ +3><T COU[]_|) h@/E +Ak3// hOLD.
You kids have it so easy today. I remember back when we only had 140 characters to type messages to each other!
I+ (OUL|) |3E W0RSE. |_33+ +3><T COU[]_|) h@/E +Ak3// hOLD.
Like everything memeish, the -eh replacement (or extension, or what have you) has already gone past Funny, took a left at Yesterday’s Cool, circled around briskly to Self-Parody, and now is deeply entrenched at Ironic.
It’s been around for years and years, though. I remember feigning fear at my sister and screaming “Don’t kill meh!” when I was little. Child retro is apparently the new ironic cool.
.-= Allan Lazenby´s last blog ..dystopiansmile: @wncwjoe Nothing makes me feel more inept or terrified than wielding a chainsaw. I end up smelling like motor oil and whiffed fingers. =-.
Like everything memeish, the -eh replacement (or extension, or what have you) has already gone past Funny, took a left at Yesterday’s Cool, circled around briskly to Self-Parody, and now is deeply entrenched at Ironic.
It’s been around for years and years, though. I remember feigning fear at my sister and screaming “Don’t kill meh!” when I was little. Child retro is apparently the new ironic cool.
.-= Allan Lazenby´s last blog ..dystopiansmile: @wncwjoe Nothing makes me feel more inept or terrified than wielding a chainsaw. I end up smelling like motor oil and whiffed fingers. =-.
I am completely with you on this one. I don’t text message, so I don’t even know all of the abbreviations. Remember you had to tell me what FTW was? It really bugs me to see a typo and one on purpose is just wrong.
.-= Kevin´s last blog ..a note on driving/parking etiquette =-.
I am completely with you on this one. I don’t text message, so I don’t even know all of the abbreviations. Remember you had to tell me what FTW was? It really bugs me to see a typo and one on purpose is just wrong.
.-= Kevin´s last blog ..a note on driving/parking etiquette =-.
The 80’s costume looks easiest to run a 1/2 marathon in.
For the 5K, I’d go with either the bride or the fairy.
The 80’s costume looks easiest to run a 1/2 marathon in.
For the 5K, I’d go with either the bride or the fairy.