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The Debate over "Irregardless" -- is it a Word?

posted by Fnord666 on Monday July 13 2020, @11:53AM   Printer-friendly
from the First-to-Fall dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/06/887540598/the-debate-over-the-word-irregardless-is-it-a-word

All right. Let's settle something here. The word irregardless - is it a word or is it not a word? Well, this is a debate that Merriam-Webster is now weighing in on in a tweet saying that it is, in fact, a word. And that has led to a whole lot of reaction online.

Merriam-Webster has confirmed that "irregardless" is a word in the dictionary, despite concerns from teachers that it is not.

So fellow Soylentils, irregardless of my opinion, what do your think?

See Also:
Is 'Irregardless' a Real Word?
Definition of irregardless

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by EvilSS on Monday July 13 2020, @01:39PM (9 children)

    by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 13 2020, @01:39PM (#1020286)
    From the OED:

    Irregardless (informal)

    Irregardless means the same as regardless, but the negative prefix ir- merely duplicates the suffix -less, and is unnecessary. The word dates back to the 19th century, but is regarded as incorrect in standard English.

    Origin: Mid 19th century: probably a blend of irrespective and regardless.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Informative=2, Total=2
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  • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday July 13 2020, @01:54PM (7 children)

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Monday July 13 2020, @01:54PM (#1020299)

    the negative prefix ir- merely duplicates the suffix -less

    So it just means regard?

    That doesn't seem right.

    --
    "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Monday July 13 2020, @03:18PM (4 children)

      by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Monday July 13 2020, @03:18PM (#1020356) Homepage
      That's because duplication is quite distinct from cancellation, you silly silly person.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves

      • (Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Monday July 13 2020, @03:23PM (3 children)

        by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 13 2020, @03:23PM (#1020362) Journal

        Cancel and Counsel might be interchangeable.

        Some people would say not so. They would insist there is difference between Marriage Counselor and Marriage Canceller.

        --
        The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.

        • (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Monday July 13 2020, @04:08PM

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 13 2020, @04:08PM (#1020412) Journal

          Thanks god there's no marriage chancellor, otherwise some Americans would spell it "chanceller" and use it to denote "someone who takes a chance in marriage" (grin)

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford

        • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday July 13 2020, @09:18PM (1 child)

          by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Monday July 13 2020, @09:18PM (#1020703) Homepage
          The schwa is a beautiful vowel. Here's an old usenet sig I used to use:

          FatPhil's Simplified _________
          Pronunciation Guide \__\__|__|
          Part 1 - Vowels \__\@|__|
                                                              \______|

          But yes, you need to make sure that your marriage ends up with eternal bliss, not an eternal blister.
          --
          Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves

          • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday July 13 2020, @09:19PM

            by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Monday July 13 2020, @09:19PM (#1020704) Homepage
            FUX!

            FatPhil's Simplified    _________
            Pronunciation Guide     \__\__|__|
            Part 1 - Vowels          \__\@|__|
                                      \______|
            --
            Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves

    • (Score: 3, Touché) by EvilSS on Monday July 13 2020, @03:35PM

      by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 13 2020, @03:35PM (#1020381)
      I, literally, just gave you the definition. So no, it does not mean regard.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2020, @01:13AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2020, @01:13AM (#1020890)

      It would, but that's not how it's used. There are words where there are repetitive uses of negatives embedded in them, antidisestablishmentarianism is a good example.

      Ultimately, how words are used is what they mean. There are countless cases of pajoration and amelioration that have gone on, in addition to slides in the meaning of words. Ultimately, it's a majority rules type of a deal where if there's a critical mass of people using and understanding a word in a certain way, that is it's meaning. That includes cases where it's really dumb.

  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Monday July 13 2020, @05:31PM

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 13 2020, @05:31PM (#1020502) Homepage Journal

    It is a word.

    But

    It is a bad word.

    says the OED.

    -- hendrik