Relationships with People Who Use Fake Words or the Wrong Words--Often: "Converse" or "Conversate" that is the question:
We all love and appreciate ebonics, and it doesn't matter what ethnicity you are because everybody borrows from black culture. Heck, at times I wish I could just make up words and set them out in the universe to gain popularity (when you have degrees in English less people challenge the authenticity of the words you use...ha!), but I can't. I don't have a problem with ebonics, slang, pidgin English, or any other standard language deviation its when people champion the cause of made up words that I have a problem with.
For example, "conversate" is constantly used in place of "converse", and thats the ish that feds me up...lol. The truth is it doesn't necessarily irritate me...it just makes me feel sad and then I want to go into correcting mode (again...English major here). It's not that I am "too good" to misspeak...if you know me then you know that although I have a type A personality I make mistakes, albeit rarely--but mistakes nonetheless. Its just that we all know by now that "conversate" is not a word, but we do nothing to stop its usage from spreading. Just the other day someone used it, and I froze. I didn't know how to stop it from happening when I felt like he was going to say it. After the fifteen second window correction opportunity was over I felt slightly embarrassed. (I think the next time we speak I will have to use the word "converse" in our conversation as a teaching moment. I know...I know...I'm being extra, but he too dope to say it and have people look at him crazy.) I'm motivated by love...for real, so I am going to have to do something.
If I didn't do it what kind of person would I be? That reminds me...I have a friend who was dating this guy who used "facade" wrong for about two years, and we joked about it when she told me. I told her that she had to tell him but she couldn't because she had let it go on for too long. If she told him the truth after all that time he would think she had been letting him look like a fool. She waited for someone else to tell him. It took a looooong time. He would pronounce "facade" as fa-kayde", and he was "fa-kayding" all over the place. It was like his favorite little sophisticated word. I think he thought he sounded like a member of the black intelligentsia when he used it. But "fa-kayde" is not a word. For years the brother "fa-kayded" and no one corrected him and then all of a sudden he said "facade" properly. It was kind of scary because his girlfriend wondered if he knew that we spoke about him not knowing how to say the word. They broke up shortly after that. It wasn't for that reason though; I am just being dramatic for effect.
Speaking of break ups....I remember a break up of sorts I had with a beau who constantly used the word "done" for no reason and quite inappropriately. He would respond to questions this way: "That's what I done". Or he would make comments such as: "You know what you done". It was like someone was dragging their nails across the chalkboard everytime he used one of his infamous "done" phrases. I tried to stop him...several times, but he could not be stopped. Even when I asked him directly why he insisted on using the word "done" in the wrong way he didn't know what I was talking about. Now, before you start thinking I like mildly illiterate men, please understand the brother is very intelligent. He is a clown, but he is still smart, cultured, well read, and a good conversationalist. Actually, he is very arrogant and thinks he is cold as ever, and I think that is what makes this "done" business so hilarious. To be that pompous and pretentious you kind of need to mind your "done" usage. I think. Unfortunately, like the brother who loved "fa-kayde" my "done" beau used the word every chance he got. Surprisingly enough neither one of these brothers used "conversate". Perhaps they got the memo about it not being a word. And that is really all that matters. All other words killings can be excused.
Pardon any grammatical mistakes while I am busy clowning...HA!
For example, "conversate" is constantly used in place of "converse", and thats the ish that feds me up...lol. The truth is it doesn't necessarily irritate me...it just makes me feel sad and then I want to go into correcting mode (again...English major here). It's not that I am "too good" to misspeak...if you know me then you know that although I have a type A personality I make mistakes, albeit rarely--but mistakes nonetheless. Its just that we all know by now that "conversate" is not a word, but we do nothing to stop its usage from spreading. Just the other day someone used it, and I froze. I didn't know how to stop it from happening when I felt like he was going to say it. After the fifteen second window correction opportunity was over I felt slightly embarrassed. (I think the next time we speak I will have to use the word "converse" in our conversation as a teaching moment. I know...I know...I'm being extra, but he too dope to say it and have people look at him crazy.) I'm motivated by love...for real, so I am going to have to do something.
If I didn't do it what kind of person would I be? That reminds me...I have a friend who was dating this guy who used "facade" wrong for about two years, and we joked about it when she told me. I told her that she had to tell him but she couldn't because she had let it go on for too long. If she told him the truth after all that time he would think she had been letting him look like a fool. She waited for someone else to tell him. It took a looooong time. He would pronounce "facade" as fa-kayde", and he was "fa-kayding" all over the place. It was like his favorite little sophisticated word. I think he thought he sounded like a member of the black intelligentsia when he used it. But "fa-kayde" is not a word. For years the brother "fa-kayded" and no one corrected him and then all of a sudden he said "facade" properly. It was kind of scary because his girlfriend wondered if he knew that we spoke about him not knowing how to say the word. They broke up shortly after that. It wasn't for that reason though; I am just being dramatic for effect.
Speaking of break ups....I remember a break up of sorts I had with a beau who constantly used the word "done" for no reason and quite inappropriately. He would respond to questions this way: "That's what I done". Or he would make comments such as: "You know what you done". It was like someone was dragging their nails across the chalkboard everytime he used one of his infamous "done" phrases. I tried to stop him...several times, but he could not be stopped. Even when I asked him directly why he insisted on using the word "done" in the wrong way he didn't know what I was talking about. Now, before you start thinking I like mildly illiterate men, please understand the brother is very intelligent. He is a clown, but he is still smart, cultured, well read, and a good conversationalist. Actually, he is very arrogant and thinks he is cold as ever, and I think that is what makes this "done" business so hilarious. To be that pompous and pretentious you kind of need to mind your "done" usage. I think. Unfortunately, like the brother who loved "fa-kayde" my "done" beau used the word every chance he got. Surprisingly enough neither one of these brothers used "conversate". Perhaps they got the memo about it not being a word. And that is really all that matters. All other words killings can be excused.
Pardon any grammatical mistakes while I am busy clowning...HA!
Comments
Post a Comment