I would hate for anyone to go through my blog and find all the errors. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. That would depend on who was doing the trolling and the culling. But given that we are losing our language faster than the speed of sound, I can't imagine most people caring about any of this. Furthermore, I am, at worst, a moderate proponent of adapting to changes in language/culture, otherwise we'd all be walking around saying things like, Whan that Aprille, with hise shoures soote... (thank you, Chaucer). All the same, I feel it's my duty to note here today the first of my pet peeves regarding our current culture as it relates, or doesn't relate, to the English language:
Since when did "impact" obtain its most recent usage?
As far as anyone ever told me, impact as a transitive verb means 1. to drive or press closely or firmly into something; to pack in. 2. to fill up, congest, throng: A vast crowd impacted St. Peter's Square. 3. to collide with, strike forcefully: a ricket designed to impact the planet Mars ... and as an intransitive verb 4. to have impact or make contact forcefully (usually followed by on, upon, against, etc.): The ball impacted against the bat with a loud noise. The speaker's words suddenly impacted on the audience (and thank you Random House).
And despite the comprehensive explanation that Bartleby gives
-- The use of impact as a verb meaning “to have an effect” often has a big impact on readers. Eighty-four percent of the Usage Panel disapproves of the construction to impact on, as in the phrase social pathologies, common to the inner city, that impact heavily on such a community. Ninety-five percent disapprove of the use of impact as a transitive verb in the sentence Companies have used disposable techniques that have a potential for impacting our health. It’s unclear why this usage provokes such a strong response, but it can’t be because of novelty. Impact has been used as a verb since 1601, and its figurative use dates from 1935, allowing people plenty of time to get accustomed to it. It may be that its frequent appearance in jargon-riddled remarks of politicians, military officials, and financial analysts has made people suspicious. Nevertheless, the use of impact as a verb has become so common in corporations and institutions that younger speakers have begun to regard it as standard. It seems likely, therefore, that the verb impact will eventually become as usual as the verb contact has become over the last 30 years --
why is it I want to run screaming from the house whenever I hear clauses such as
"Wow! That movie really impacted me!"
"That new job could really impact your career."
which, when you think about it, isn't all that far removed from "Action that!" (although now I digress).
Perhaps my response has something to do with the fact that these sorts of impactful sentiments often emerge from the same people who say things such as "My bad!" and "nuc-u-lar war" and "the facts of the matters is" and "Is it still raining out yet?" (as if raining out all by itself isn't more than enough).
Sadly, I am not well-honed enough -- despite my new copy of The Canadian Press Stylebook (thank you, Michelle) -- to argue this point effectively. I only know what rankles; what feels wrong in my skin and my head.
My final word for the day, then, runs into my biggest pet peeve: people who do not credit their sources: people who steal ideas, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, inflections, intonations, plots, characters, themes, jokes, inventions, lyrics, screenplays, scripts, poems, by-lines and banners and, at the very least, do not say who or what has inspired this. But on this point I feel a dissertation coming on, and who ever wants to read on of those?
Yo! I'm outta here!
<:^)
