English as She are Spok
A correspondent in today's Times bewails the tendency of telly people to pronounce 'sixth' as 'sikth'.
Where have you been, bewailer? 'Fifth' has been 'fith' since ever since I can remember. People who join in protests are called PRO-testers. People who export are called EX-porters. The distinction between 'less' and 'fewer' got lost in about 1949. And of the rich panoply of prepositions that English offers, only one survives in telly-speak - 'over'.
I long to see the headline - Obama Craps Himself Over Africa.
The way things are going, it's inevitable.
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