Its a thing said by people, so of course its a word. This means that the word is in common use but not exactly a proper word. As the oeds jesse sheidlower said in an interview with tnc, of course its a word. Irregardless is a nonstandard synonym for regardless, which means without concern as to advice, warning, or hardship, or heedless. Irregardless is in the same classification of other words like aint, conversate, and lol. Created by writers write at someecards writers write offers the best writing courses in south africa. Regardless, and the debate surrounding this word is heated, with many frowning upon anyone who uses irregardless.
Mar 22, 2017 a journey into the merriamwebster word factory kory stamper, a merriamwebster lexicographer, in a basement storage area at the companys springfield, mass. I recently read a book about the most common mistakes in speech and writing, and that was one of the most common mistakes. One commenter, the same who said, irregardless is not a word, noted rather aptly, there is absolutely no value to irregardless except to recognize people who didnt study. Regardless of what some may think, irregardless is not a word. Irregardless some words in the english language are so overused that we dont. Its not particularly useful it means regardless and a lot of people hate it, but it is real. Republicans charge into resistance at tumultuous town. Even though 74 percent of respondents in a grammarly poll were convinced irregardless is not a word.
The secret life of dictionaries by kory stamper, who spent almost two decades writing dictionaries at merriam webster, is a mustread for all those interested in the english language. Jul 23, 2007 10 wording blunders that make you look stupid. The term has been in use in english for over a century, but whether or not its a real word or one you should use in daily conversation continues to be the subject of debate. The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among dictionary references suggests that it is probably a blend, or portmanteau word, of the standard english words irrespective and regardless. Its a portmanteau a combination of irrespective and regardless. Impactful, irregardless, snuck and so on simply dont qualify, people say, and anyone who uses them is making a.
The secret life of dictionaries and millions of other books are available for instant. Irregardless and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Its sort of a thing, but mostly it just leads to arguments. Irregardless has great ideas, hilariously funny scenes, a wonderful ending, and a slew of big words that the author isnt afraid to use. The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the consensus among references is that it is a blend of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard english words. Originally the sidekick to radioactive man in the radioactive man comic series on the simpsons. Regardless of the school of awordisawordifthepeopleutilizeit, there is no such word as irregardless, except when used for hyperbolic humor, and even then it isnt very funny. Mar 26, 2008 no regard for irregardless posted on march 26, 2008 by languageandgrammar i had a relative who used to say irregardless every time she should have been saying regardless, but because i was a child, i knew that i wasnt allowed to correct her. The suffix less on the end of the word already makes the word negative. But that doesnt help you, the person being hollered at on twitter that mines isnt a real word. I am not endorsing the use of irregardless, but its silly to suggest it isnt a word. The book fold layout sets you up for printing your masterpiece automatically in the correct order, ready for folding and binding. I know for a fact that irrugardless is as you say a word that people use when trying to sound clever. But its not a word because my teachers told me it wasnt truth.
So even though it is a word, irregardless is still far from being widely accepted. Bremners entry under irregardless in his book words on words, however. No regard for irregardless everything language and grammar. Mar 14, 2017 or, the man who believed that irregardless isnt a word. But we have some earthshattering news for grammar nerds. But im going to focus mostly on the good since the bad isnt any fault of stampers. The secret life of dictionaries, lets me in on all the dirty little secrets of dictionarymaking a lot like making sausages, it turns out. Somewhat surprisingly, irregardless is a word that has been around since at least 1795 and was created in rural america and is used more heavily in the south. Mar 10, 2014 im not sure why im being asked this, but yes, it is a word.
Irregardless is a word, but a bad one chad comello. Irregardless is used by some as though it means the same as regardless but actually is not a word at all, while you can reassure someone who was assured but then lost faith again, necessitating that he be reassured. Do you have strong feelings about the word irregardless. I told them that irregardless of what you read in books, theys some members of the theatrical profession that occasionally visits. Dec 12, 20 we talk about the word irregardlessmostly just to complain about itfar more than we actually use it. Irregardless, on the other hand, is in almost every dictionary labeled as nonstandard. Many wordsmiths either totally love it, or completely hate it. Synonyms for book at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. The point of the irregardless is to shut down conversation. Which is grammatically correct regardless or irregardless. Irregardless definition of irregardless by the free. No authoritarian authority exists that determines whether a given word is valid or bogus. For best results, change the document layout before you start your writing project.
Pick up the key ideas in the book with this quick summary. Irregardless is a word sometimes used in place of regardless or irrespective, which has caused controversy since the early twentieth century, though the word appeared in print as early as 1795. The word was coined in the united states in the early 1900s, presumably from a blend of irrespective and regardless, and was perhaps popularized by. Stamper reminds me of just how much fun people have with language, and how deeply we as readers are delighted when we are surprised by writersspeakers who are having. I dont know where it came from, and i dont know what youre thinking, but for heavens sake, please read a book in your lifetime. It doesnt need the negative prefix ir added to make it even more negative. Irregardless is a real word youre just using it wrong business. Irregardless, ill keep using the word broken window media.
Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. That scenario was just one of the examples of common communication mistakes twin cities author schwietz used as he presented his book irregardless. It might make you cringe, but irregardless is in use. Some words in the english language are so overused that we dont notice that they are incorrect or dont even exist. Irregardless is a bad word and a word you shouldnt use, but it is a word. Why do the words irregardless and regardless mean the. And as i said above, for all intents and purposes is the correct usage. Dec 29, 2008 in short, yes but is only recognized in dictionaries as a nonstandard word nonstandard is a way that dictionaries concede that a word is in common use, but isnt technically a proper word,e. This list comprises widespread modern beliefs about english language usage that are documented by a reliable source to be misconceptions with no authoritative language academy, guidance on english language usage can come from many sources. I trust my teachers, but i dont trust you, so i will disregard the evidence of its use and merely bleat over and over again that irregardless isnt a word until you shut down your computer and pray for a. Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir and less. Now, we have no problem with making up words if a particular scent can only be described as fartalicious, we reserve the right to call it so. Besides, theres already a fine book on that subject.
Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The debate over irregardless was reignited by a mississippian who wrote to the author. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. But no point drew as much ire as my claim that irregardless is a word. And other grammar errors too irritate and annoy williams, kenneth j. This can create problems, as described by reginald close. Merriamwebster staff have been accused of playing politics with definitions in recent months. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. I trust my teachers, but i dont trust you, so i will disregard the evidence of its use and merely bleat over and over again that irregardless isnt a word until you shut down your computer and pray for a meteor to smash into your office. Floogetyflop isn t a word i just made it up and you have no idea what it means. While there are some clever observations, the book isnt worth the price. Oct 09, 2016 but death, irregardless of tenderest ties, resolved the good betty, at length, to breathe as to the traditional criticism that irregardless is not a word, shea considers this sentiment to have no greater chance of success than if you stepped into traffic and yelled that is not a car in the hopes of not being run over. Definition of irregardless in the idioms dictionary. Depending on the word processing tool you use, it sometimes gets the red squiggly underline treatmentbut not always.
Learn whether irregardless is a word and what the difference between standard and nonstandard english is. According to the renaissance learning website, which gives word counts for books for which it makes quizzes, harold has 657 words. Im sorry to break it to you, but irregardless is a word. Should you be using it in your writing, or shouldnt you. The book ends with a 46page glossary of grammatical, rhetorical, and other languagerelated terms, and a 10page time line of books on usage. People say these 15 words arent wordsbut they actually are.
Jul 10, 2012 irregardless is a hotbutton word among grammarians, and that makes it confusing for writers. Most dictionaries list it as nonstandard or incorrect usage, and recommend that regardless should be used instead. Tom harleys tom irregardless and me has been described as a romping and riotous defense of jehovahs witnesses and their place in todays world. Even though 74 percent of respondents in a grammarly poll were convinced irregardless is not a word, it actually does show up in the dictionary. Indeed, the stress pattern of the word probably influenced the addition of the prefix, as the stress in regardless is on gar, which makes it sound insufficiently negative, despite the. A journey into the merriamwebster word factory the new. So a bunch of people noted in yesterdays ebonics thread that conversate wasnt a word, because it wasnt in the oxford english dictionary. If people use irregardless as a word, it is a word. In any language, theres a complex and imperfect vetting procedure. Irregardless has a fine flow about it, with a stronger negative feel than regardless that some people obviously find attractive. Weve all been taught to never, ever let that word slip out of our mouthsthe correct term would be regardless. Top synonym for irregardless another word for irregardless is despite.
Jan 25, 2018 and yes, language does evolve, so sometimes new words and phrases come to the fore, or their usage changes over time like, literally. This is for several reasons, which i will now explain. It might be a useless word, a redundant word, even an unpleasant word, but it is a word. Whether something is a word or not isnt a very meaningful question it simply depends on how you choose to draw the lines around what counts as words. Oxford english dictionary types argue a word in common usage is not a word, because its not in their book, but they cant accept that every other word in their book was completely made up at some time as well. Like irregular and irregardless, conversate isnt a word. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that there is no such word. Stamper describes is a situation where the word regardless isnt sufficient. So yes, irregardless is a word, even though its nonstandard.
Irregardless is a word that many people mistakenly believe to be correct in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Irregardless is a nonstandard synonym for regardless, which means without. Irregardless was popularized in dialectal american speech in the early 20th century. Its the only word where attaching the ir prefix to the root word has the exact same meaning as the root word. Irregardless versus regardless grammar girl quick and dirty tips. An educated language user would not use it in formal discussions and respectable publications. Whether something is a word or not isn t a very meaningful question it simply depends on how you choose to draw the lines around what counts as words. There is nothing wrong with its ability to communicate. Today, we communicate with more people much faster.
He told me to look it up and i need to know that there is meaning or use of this word and prove him wrong, hes such a mister smarty pants, i cringe every time i hear it. Those who use the word, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. If the end of the world is as entertaining in real life as it is in this book, sign me up. Throwing an ir in front of normal, less badass words that begin with r changes the meaning to the opposite of the word. He slogged through questions about health care, immigration and, in at least one instance, word choice. Smashwords tom irregardless and me a book by tom harley. A seemingly knowledgeable friend tells you irregardless isnt a word.
The word that by far gets the most entries is irregardless. When someone uses it, you know what they are saying, even though you dont like how they are doing it. Teachers and textbook writers often invent rules which their students and readers repeat and. Volume 1 steve harmon, john schwietz, patrick hawkins, the way we communicate is changing. However, there is a problem with the assertion that irregardless is not a real word.
It was probably formed on the analogy of such words as irrespective, irrelevant, and irreparable. Oct 07, 20 that said, all of these dictionaries are careful to note that the use of irregardless is nonstandard and not recommended. Well, i had nothing better to do today, so i decided to. Irregardless definition of irregardless by merriamwebster. Get grammar girls take on irregardless versus regardless. Feb 02, 2012 but its not a word because my teachers told me it wasnt truth. Irregardless is a word, but its not a proper word, and your students assertion that its in some dictionaries is a great opportunity to talk about the different kinds of entries in dictionaries. Well, not a standardnevermind, read the book to get the full scoop. Irregardless some words in the english language are so overused that we.
Im not sure why im being asked this, but yes, it is a word. And now weve got jumanji on the list, which has 1800. Word by word was a well done, and at times quite funny, overview of what its like to work at merriamwebster, and the intricacies that go into adding words to and defining words for a dictionary. To my surprise, there is an entry for irregardless in the oxford english dictionary. Brimming with intelligence and personality, a vastly entertaining a. Bush may have sensitized your ears to that pronunciation but he isnt the first to use it. Language evolves as a product of peoples desires to communicate. Mar 09, 2015 or that some other person said that some word isnt a word.
But absent that, beautilul is indeed a word in the strictest sense, but not as an acceptable synonym of beautiful. Irregardless definition in the cambridge english dictionary. This really sums up the book, which is a lighthearted look at numerous aspects of the watch tower society from the perspective of a practising jehovahs witness in the us. Irregardless went up against the rules of grammar, stickbythe book lexicographers, and the fact that its a completely redundant word. Dictionaries that list the word irregardless list it as nonstandard. Theres even an entry for it in merriamwebsters dictionaries. If you want to learn how to write a book, write for social media, and improve. Its born out of the same market processes we see in commerce.
According to a grammarly poll, 74 percent of voters say irregardless is not a real word, though we all know how much weight the popular vote has. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a. The girls wanted to conversate with me about which concert they wanted to see. And if you are a fan of john grisham, buy this book because you need something good to read for a change. According to a grammarly poll, 74 per cent of voters say irregardless is not a real word, though we all know how much weight the popular vote has. Kory stamper, a lexicographer for merriamwebster, told us that irregardless is a word in the dictionary, and how to use it correctly. Learn whether irregardless is a word and what the difference between standard. Regardless of what you have heard, irregardless is a redundancy.
In the film version of radioactive man starring ranier wolfcastle milhouse was cast in the role of fallout boy. It could be a blend of irrespective and regardless, but its wrong to use. You dont have to like it, and you certainly dont have to use it, but you also dont have to worry about it becoming acceptable anytime soon. Its always dangerous to say that something isnt a word. This means that they recognize the word has common use, but really isnt a proper word.
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