Who stole the T's? (And other grammar gripes)

By Leslie Riseden

Special contributor to

The Steel Country Bee

Wai’ing. Moun’ain. Clin’on. Impor’an’. When did we start dropping the “t” in the pronunciation of these words? And it’s not just kids. Every day I hear this lazy speech roll off the tongues of newscasters, attorneys, spokespersons, public officials and others who should know better. Where in the world did this trend come from? Yes, it takes a little more effort (very little) to say “important” and enunciate each “t” clearly. But, goodness knows, we have enough silent letters in the English language, thanks to the multitude of languages from which it evolved. Let’s not start silencing those that shouldn’t be.

When we were in school, our teachers were adamant that we not use “ain’t”. They would tell us, “There’s no such word as “’ain’t.’” Nowadays it seems, since “ain’t” has made it into the dictionary, this means it’s an acceptable word. However, there are plenty of words in the dictionary that should not be used. “Ain’t” is still just a lazy way for people to avoid making a choice among a multitude of negative contractions. He ain’t been here yet. They ain’t got chocolate. She ain’t as pretty as her sister. We ain’t driving all the way out there. It’s the all-purpose negative.

And what about your/you’re and there/their/they’re? And who invented the apostrophe for use with plural form? “Your going to love our hamburger’s. Their the best.” Really? Not one person noticed before the sign went up?

Clearly, social media must take a lot of the blame for the global rise in the phonetic short-cuts that have now permeated all forms of the written word. Abbreviations are the norm in electronic communication, due to space limitation and the “need for speed.” That’s understandable. However, if one is writing a letter, or even a greeting card, how much longer does it take, for crying out loud, to write out “love,“ “you” and “thanks” instead of “luv,“ “u” and “thx?” It all seems so last-minute and disingenuous. It’s terrifying to think that social media is where our kids are learning to spell ... not.

Admittedly, I love the English language. I love learning new words, researching the origin of words and reading anything that is well-written. I compulsively proofread almost everything, and am mortified when I realize I have made a grammatical or spelling error myself. Friends and co-workers would probably say I’m a little fanatical about the correctness of both the spoken and written word. I wear that badge proudly. It’s our language. We have well over a million words from which to choose, and there are usually many ways to express a single thought. So, whether composing a letter, writing a column, or applying for a job, I believe you should choose your words wisely, and use them well. The informed reader will appreciate it and ... u jus migh ge tha job u wan.