Why do smart people speak so poorly ?

[BillB]

I can understand that one. Hot water heater distinguishes it from any other type of heater.

But, why do you need to heat hot water? Unless you want it boiling.

True. It is redundant. Water heater is enough.

[Kiamichi]

I think people picked up "went missing" from British TV shows. I know I had never heard it in my life until maybe 30 years ago. Before that people always said someone "came up missing", which I guess doesn't sound any better.

[BigTex]

Another annoying Millennial thing..

..at the end of a sentence, your voice raises in pitch.

That's evolved from Valleyspeak.

[BigTex]

Words like "so" "basically" and "actually" are verbal crutches that buy your brain an extra millisecond to decide what you are going to say.

It shows up in writing as well because some people, like me, write the way they talk.

[glenn/dallas]

BigTex" Words like "so" "basically" and "actually" are verbal crutches that buy your brain an extra millisecond to decide what you are going to say.

I think you have hit the proverbial nail on its proverbial head

[millergrovesue]

Words like "so" "basically" and "actually" are verbal crutches that buy your brain an extra millisecond to decide what you are going to say.

It shows up in writing as well because some people, like me, write the way they talk.

I think they probably started that way but have been picked up as habit.

Don't know how many listen to WBAP in the mornings. Have you noticed Brian's habit of saying "To tell the truth....."? I noticed Hal has picked it up now. Always makes me think of the chestnut that states whenever someone says "to make a long story short" you can be sure the story will be very long and when someone says "to tell the truth" you can be sure that the next words out of their mouths will be lies.

[BillB]

Words like "so" "basically" and "actually" are verbal crutches that buy your brain an extra millisecond to decide what you are going to say.

It shows up in writing as well because some people, like me, write the way they talk.

I think they probably started that way but have been picked up as habit.

Don't know how many listen to WBAP in the mornings. Have you noticed Brian's habit of saying "To tell the truth....."? I noticed Hal has picked it up now. Always makes me think of the chestnut that states whenever someone says "to make a long story short" you can be sure the story will be very long and when someone says "to tell the truth" you can be sure that the next words out of their mouths will be lies.

Tex Schramm, the old Cowboys general manager, used to answer questions by saying "Frankly, _______________"
The few times he wouldn't say frankly, I always wondered if what followed was a lie.

[millergrovesue]

I used to have a client who used "and so on and so forth" in about every third sentence. Couple that with his spitting tobacco into a cup habit and visits with him were not only monotonous but also disgusting. Really do not miss that guy.

[crocmommy]

Have heard several older people use "at any rate" frequently.

[BillB]

Have heard several older people use "at any rate" frequently.

Old people I remember used a lot of terms and phrases I never hear any more.
Much obliged - meant thank you
A right smart - meant a lot
"Sorry" meant a low life. I hear that some but not a lot.
A Brazil nut was called a name I haven't heard in 20 or 30 years. I didn't know they were Brazil nuts until I was an adult.

[millergrovesue]

My grandmother used the contraction "tis" for it is. I still use it in emails. Guess the youngsters haven't a clue what I'm saying.

[BillB]

"At all" was atall (one word).

Oh yeah, pants were always britches.

[Red Oak]

Damn I didn't know I was an Old Person

And "Step Ins" was drawers aka underpants.

[BillB]

Damn I didn't know I was an Old Person

And "Step Ins" was drawers aka underpants.

I never heard "step ins". I heard drawers a lot- usually meant women's underwear.

[Red Oak]

My G-Grand Mother called them "step ins", she was born in 1875, so that word goes "way on back yonder".

[BillB]

My G-Grand Mother called them "step ins", she was born in 1875, so that word goes "way on back yonder".

My grandparents went back to the 1890s.
A lot of it depends on where they were from. Different regions had a little different lingo.

[Red Oak]

Yes back before mass communications regionalisms were much more pronounced.

I was 12 years old before I realized "dis sieve nen" and "drecktly" were contractions

[BillB]

Yes back before mass communications regionalisms were much more pronounced.

I was 12 years old before I realized "dis sieve nen" and "drecktly" were contractions

I had forgotten about drecktly. I heard that a lot.
"Tolerable" was a frequent answer to "How you doin'?" That's another one.

[mayhem]

'Question' can trip us up, as in:

"Let me ask you a quick question?"" (don't know what a quick question is except that you know it ain't gonna be quick).

and just

"Can I ask (you) a question?"
Smart ass response? 'You just did.
Would you like to ask another one?'

I don't know why we don't just ask the question because asking if one can ask a question
is the same thing as asking the question in the first place.

[mayhem]

Something just occurred to me.

I've been known to get all huffy when I get corrected by someone else.
It is impolite to do so, but what about this?

I'll prolly never see any of you face to face; why should I worry. Why
get all huffy about it? You are really doing me a favor when you
correct my mistakes here.

I MIGHT NOT LIKE IT BUT IT WOULD BE A GIFT TO BE CORRECTED
HERE BEFORE I MAKE SOME DUMBASS MISTAKE WHERE IT MIGHT
COUNT AGAINST ME. If you see me (repeatedly?) screwing up
syntax, grammar etc, it's cool if you call me on it.

So correct the hell outa me as long as it doesn't have anything to
do with water.