Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Keeping Abreast of Language Issues

The use of language is really not all that important to a lot of people. This is evident by abominations that are foisted upon us by the advertising community (Luvs, Chex, etc.) as well as the person who invented all the acronyms for texting use. I'd love to say that normally I let such bastardization of the language go without comment or ire, but, sadly, that's not the case. I get upset every time I see something that just isn't right. Last weekend, it involved Queen Latifah, who happens to be one of my favorite actresses. In truth, it wasn't she (not her) who made the error but the ad folks themselves.
Actually, i don't even know what the product du jour was, but there was the Queen's photo with the caption "None of us are perfect." While it may be acceptable usage, it most certainly is not correct in any grammar sense with regard to the agreement of subject and verb. Is it a big deal? It depends, I suppose, on the context and the judge. I would say "yes" while most folks would probably disagree. Advertising, of course, has its own rules...mostly none at all. Still, I wonder who writes things like the copy for cosmetic surgery that I noticed in the paper this weekend:
"Buy one get one FREE breast implant."
Really? I could be wrong, but if a patient needs only one due to surgical issues, does this mean that he or she would get it done at half price? Of course, an ad featuring "half off two" would convey a different message entirely. Honestly, the whole"buy one, get one" sounds more like a deal at an A&W Root Beer drive-in than it does for implants. Perhaps this is meant for folks who go through multiple procedures...well, I really have no idea, but it struck me as odd, anyway.
I would be more in favor of the free Micoderm/Chemical Peel deal offered by the same cosmetic practitioner as a bonus for the Botox filler combo purchase.
Joan Rivers is rushing there as we speak, I'll bet.
I'll just have to learn to be more patient with misusers of the language.

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