Classic - bad grammar at work

Casadena

I work closely with a lady who is very sweet, smart, and easy to work with. However, she has really bad grammar. She mispronounces words (drownding, warsh) and uses “I seen” and “I had went.” I occasionally correct her, but I know it wears on her. Well, it wears on me to hear this on a daily basis! I want to tell her that she sounds like a bumpkin and probably does not make a good impression on others because of this, but I don’t want to hurt her feelings. I cringe every time she butchers the English language; it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. What can I do?

levioosa

Nothing. You do nothing without sounding like a condescending ass. 

mrsconn23

You stop correcting her and take the stick out of your ass.  She's not your project.  Also, how you speak may be like nails on the board to her.  

And clearly she can do the job since she was hired into the same company as you.  

Casadena

My MIL has a slew of words she use and pronounces incorrectly and it drives me up a fucking wall.  I've never corrected her bc it's not my place, imo.  (I dont' understand how her kids or husband have never done it over the years, but i digress).  You absolutely don't correct colleagues about the way they talk.  She's apparently good enough at her job to keep it. 

charlotte989875

It must be nice to be perfect. 

But seriously you only run the risk of being the office asshole if you keep this up. 

banana468

If this person is not a subordinate AND it isn't noticed by others then leave it alone.  It's a peeve of mine when I see the infinitive dropped in emails or conversation, (This needs fixed vs. the correct "This needs to be fixed.") but unless the meaning is lost let it go.

I'll assume that this is not a business where the grammar and language issues are inherent to job performance.   It may be one of those times to cringe and move on.

DH and I also tease about some of the mispronunciations from his parents but we don't say, "You know, you've been saying this wrong for nearly  70 years."   

climbingsingle

I find it so weird that LW is so bothered by this. I have a coworker like this. She one time called a carafe a "cara-fee". I very subtly corrected her (I said "Right, so you're ordering the carafe") and she kept pronouncing it wrong. And I let it go and never brought it up again. 

mrsconn23

I miss how my MIL said "warsh" and "Chester (chest of) drawers".  

VarunaTT

I feel like my face is an entire mood from reading this.  I almost took a picture and posted it.  Everyone is correct.



I claim one exception.  My mother tortured me into perfect proper English.  I wasn't allowed to say, "I'm done" b/c food is done, people are finished or through.  Things like that.  Now, MO has gotten to her and she says warsh.  I correct her every.damn.time and when she expresses annoyance, I bring it up.  Petty and extremely satisfying.

ei34

Okay since everyone else seems to know what “warsh” is- what is the coworker saying?  Does she mean wash, like washing dishes? 

climbingsingle

ei34 said:

Okay since everyone else seems to know what “warsh” is- what is the coworker saying?  Does she mean wash, like washing dishes? 

Yep, it's just a weird mispronunciation of wash. My mom says it as well. 

banana468

"The clothes are in the warsh."? 

If you hate hearing the letter R inserted everywhere then boy do I have a region for you.  LW allow me to introduce you to the magical land of Boston where the Rs are removed from vocabulary and replaced with rotaries and one way roads every 4 feet. 

ei34

@banana468 I see your Boston example and raise you my awful Queens accent. I hate it but I literally sound like the Nanny. 

Okay so LW mispronouncing…or really, a difference in pronouncing, bc it’s so regional…is a really bizarre thing to feel superior about.  Jeez. 

mrsconn23

ei34 said:

Okay so LW mispronouncing…or really, a difference in pronouncing, bc it’s so regional…is a really bizarre thing to feel superior about.  Jeez. 

Yes, the examples have more to do with dialect/regional accent. 

Clearly, only the Queen's English is good enough for LW.  LOL 

Jen4948

I have a cousin with a thick New York accent like @ei34. She made fun of my lack of one when we were younger. She says "bawl" for "ball," for example.

But having learned to speak in the Midwest and then in Houston, I just don't have any accent. In fact, in fourth grade I spelled "oilskin" as "allskin" on a spelling test because that's how my Midwestern hearing deciphered my thick Texas-accented teacher's pronunciation. And I got my grade on that test docked for it.

I would let the mispronunciations go. If she makes spelling and grammatical errors in business correspondence, that needs to be corrected, but otherwise, get used to the sound of nails on a chalkboard when she speaks.

climbingsingle

I never realize I have such a thick NY accent until I'm in another part of the country and it's pointed out to me. But I absolutely say "bawl" "cawfee", etc. 

banana468

Agreed that there's a huge difference between regional dialects and flat out not using the right words.

Is the coworker WRITING "warsh" or is it just how she's saying it?   I cringe when I receive emails that have the wrong there/their/they're or your/you're or the infinitive dropped that I mentioned above, but the message is still received.  

Also, this can be super elitist especially when we're working in an increasingly global market and English may not be the first language spoken.  One of my clients is not from the US and English is clearly not her first language.   It is not fair to correct her. 

CharmedPam

I want a meet up.  With all of you.  Just to hear the various accents. 

MissKittyDanger

CharmedPam said:

I want a meet up.  With all of you.  Just to hear the various accents. 

Apparently Canadian and mid-western are very similar {at least my area}

Casadena

omg Pam that would be so much fun.  

I've noticed myself adopting a Chicago accent more and more, it drives me nuts every time i catch it, lol. 

CharmedPam

Casadena said:

omg Pam that would be so much fun.  

I've noticed myself adopting a Chicago accent more and more, it drives me nuts every time i catch it, lol. 

Sometimes my Canadian accent comes out.  I catch it and point it out “did I just say aboot?”

downtondiva

Don't correct another adult's grammar, especially not at work. Enjoy the fact that you have a colleague that you actually like that much. 

As for my accent, I'm from New Jersey and I think you can tell from the moment I open my mouth! (Mary, marry, and merry are ALL pronounced differently and don't try to tell me otherwise!)

MissKittyDanger

CharmedPam said:

Casadena said:

omg Pam that would be so much fun.  

I've noticed myself adopting a Chicago accent more and more, it drives me nuts every time i catch it, lol. 

Sometimes my Canadian accent comes out.  I catch it and point it out “did I just say aboot?”

LOLOLOLOL

M grew up in the country for his formative years, and when he's tired he gets a country accent {it's actually delightful}
He says "eh" fair amount and we joke about going "oh yah, eh bud"

M's grandfather is from Nova Scotia ... I'm finding he's got more of maritimer lilt in his voice as he ages. It's pretty neat

Jen4948

CharmedPam said:

I want a meet up.  With all of you.  Just to hear the various accents. 

That could be fun! Maybe one day we will do it.

short+sassy

MissKittyDanger said:

CharmedPam said:

I want a meet up.  With all of you.  Just to hear the various accents. 

Apparently Canadian and mid-western are very similar {at least my area}

They sound similar to me.

short+sassy

This would drive me up the wall also.  But not my business to correct someone else's pronunciation/grammar.  I think the only exception would be if someone had just heard of a word and then mispronounced it.

One of my pet peeves with words is people who mix up "borrow" and "lend".  I don't know why that is such a common one, but it seems like more often than not, people mix those words up.  Like, "I borrowed my friend $50 and she hasn't paid me back yet."

I haven't read it, though I have heard it is good, but there is a book about commonly misused words and grammar called, "Let Sleeping Dogs Lay".