2011 Highlights and Lowlights in Language

Tis the season for the best and worst of 2011 as the countdown to 2012 commences. Injected with a daily dosage of political and pop culture hots and nots, is there anyone on the planet sans opinion?!  I tried to avoid redeeming my ticket on the blurb bandwagon, but the opportunity to add my three cents was too enticing. So, here are my picks for the 2011’s highlights and lowlights in language:

Highlights:

LYRIC HEIST:

Lifted from the lyrics of Les Miserable, ‘At the end of the day’ earned the high wattage spot.  Whether uttered in mainstream media or celebrity or ordinary people circles, the words gained premium denim traction in 2011. Even Reality TV provided little refuge from the idiom’s broken record. If 2012 ushers it out along with the skinny jeans’ fashion rage, you’ll get no complaints from me. Jeez, talk about phrase overdrive!

A HOT MISNOMER MESS:

Hyped by Facebook and Alec Baldwin’s infamous online game, Words with Friends, the relationship category ‘friend’ reigns as misnomer of the year. Irrespective of research initiated by Pew Internet and American Life Project which yields SM’s popularity to staying connected to friends and family, I suspect boatloads of users are less than forthcoming with the admission that Facebook’s virtual acquaintances aren’t actually deserving of friend status. For some, the attraction is all about feigning loneliness where Facebook is penciled in as a nightly standing appointment. Imagine that! However, in the real world where quality trumps quantity, true friendship requires commitment, loyalty and emotional exchange. Duh!  

Lowlight:

IDENTITY CRISIS 101:

Beyonce and De la Soul are blameless if the catchy tunes (“Me, Myself and I”) they individually recorded are afforded as explanation for improper pronoun usage. Why some refer to themselves in third person is unfathomable as the ingenuity of iPhone4S’ Siri.  “Matt and myself” is so reechy compared to “Matt and I.” Surely, these students were snoozing in class when the English teacher laid the grammatical law. Check out this previous blog post for additional examples of misusage:  http://writewright7.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

If done so to amplify personal cache, as I assume some professionals in various arenas do, its effect is just the opposite.  Although an admirer of athletic and popular culture phenoms, it is worthy to note that too few revered in celebrity stardom are Kings of English. Conversely, they are more fitting for the communication rodents with million dollar paychecks mold.  If in need of a refresher course, make a beeline here:   http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/myself.html.   

Happy New Year and Happy New You!