Sunday, August 10, 2008

You anti-semantic bastard!

I just realized I've started the last three blog headers with "A". Shame on me.

Correct language usage is a big deal to me. Part of it comes from my mother, who is a teacher (of Swedish, English, French and general good manners) and part of it comes from me being the obsessive know-it-all that I am.

Some years back (I was going to write "a few", but then I looked at the website and realized it hasn't been active since 2003...) I was part of an online community against "särskrivning". Can't think of a proper term in English, since the phenomenon itself stems from Swedish words that are usually written as one word being separated into two since that's the way it's done in English. Hard to explain unless you're a native. The website is still online, but not active. I am still, though.

Not sure where I'm going with this...more than to acknowledge the fact that I'm a know-it-all. Oh well, most of you are probably very much aware of this fact already.

Anywho, I will leave you with this excellent sign I saw the other day. 'tis in Swedish. And mostly for Ellie.

9 comments:

Hanna said...

HA!

I skarpnäck fanns en skylt där det stod NY HETER! Och här i krokarna finns det en skylt där det står DÄCK BYTTE.
Jag vet inte.. Jag är inte riktigt lika jobbig som du, men jag har ändå äran att bli kallad för språkpolis allt för ofta.

beardonaut said...

"DÄCK BYTTE" är fantastiskt. Både särskrivet och fel.

Min favorit är annonsen där Toys'R'Us söker "Kassa medarbetare". Stor humor.

André said...

Coolt att du var inblandad i skrivihop.nu. Ni blev verkligen brett spridda och uppskattade.

beardonaut said...

André: inblandad och inblandad. Medlem. Stödde. Låg inte bakom på något sätt.

EGE said...

I watched the Muppet Show this weekend, and I saw two Swedish Chef sketches -- but I still don't have any idea what you're talking about. Dang.

(P.S. I hope they showed the Muppet Show over there, or else you'll have no idea what I'm talking about, either!)

beardonaut said...

Yes, we had the Muppet Show over here. And while the Swedish chef is amusing, he speaks absolute gibberish. When I spent a year in high school in the US people actually said "horgee borgee" to me and expected me to understand. Uuummm, yeah. Not so much.

EGE said...

Oh sheesh, I knew he was speaking gibberish! And also, he freaks me out because he has real man hands instead of puppet hands, and that's just wrong.

Anonymous said...

Haha, ljuvlig skylt

Tackar ödmjukast för den, såna gör mig glad :-)

beardonaut said...

ege: I would be even more freaked out by a man with puppet hands...

ellie: Bra. My work here is done.