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The Jammie Dodger Bored Board -> JDBB -> The Jammie Dodger Bored Board -> "Oftentimes"
Post Info TOPIC: "Oftentimes"
ddvmor


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Date: Jan 17, 2006
"Oftentimes"
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Please can someone explain to me why Americans use the word 'Oftentimes'?  What's that all about?

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JonnyStead


"I'm Lois!"


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Date: Jan 17, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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I hadnt noticed - I had noticed "Gotten" though and I'm still not sure about that


 


Why you bashing the US today JDK?



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ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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I'm not.  I'm just creating lively inter-continental debate in accordance with the terms and conditions of the the JDBB.  Haven't had any for a while.


Anyway, 'oftentimes' has been bugging me for a while, as well you know.   'Gotten' wasn't a huge issue for me, but suffers from the same redundancies.  It's now on my list.



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BrianS


Still Number One

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Don't use either of the words and have no idea why "Amerukins" do. I would guess it is the same reason why some of us pronounce the letter "W" as "dubbya". Just plain old laziness.

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ddvmor


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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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BrianS wrote:

Don't use either of the words and have no idea why "Amerukins" do. I would guess it is the same reason why some of us pronounce the letter "W" as "dubbya". Just plain old laziness.
Can't be laziness.  After all, changing 'often' to 'oftentimes' needs more work.  Same with 'got' and 'gotten'.

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Henglegert Rinkerdink


Sorry... I must have the wrong street.

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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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Hadn't noticed that one.


Doesn't wind me up as when "can I get ..." is used to replace "could I have ..."


"Can I get a coffee?"
"It's OK sir, in this establishment we serve you"


Tits ...



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ddvmor


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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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Not sure that one's a purely colonial phenomenon, dude.

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Henglegert Rinkerdink


Sorry... I must have the wrong street.

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Not any more ... no

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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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Yeah I hear that quite a bit too, irks me as well. Usually the way I hear it is "Lemme get a coffee" instead of "I would like to order a coffee"

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NateO


Vice JDK
and Man of the People




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Date: Jan 17, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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Oftentimes I find that I'm more direct with my request, in fact, making it a demand, e.g.,


NPO: "I believe I'll be having two eggs, served over-and-out."
Server: "Sir? Over-and-out?"
NPO: "That's right; over and out of the God-damned frying pan!"




-- Edited by NateO at 18:20, 2006-01-17

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Aodan


Teiam Member




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Date: Jan 17, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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I don't know that I've ever heard someone use the term "oftentimes".. it's possible that I have but it didn't register. Either way.. my biggest word peeve is "irregardless". There is no such word.

I was listening to a lecture on something or other. I don't remember anymore, becuase half way through, this person used the non-word and they lost all credibility with me.

__ Side Note __
According to dictionary.com "gotten" is the past participle of "get". Do with that what you will.


-- Edited by Aodan at 21:34, 2006-01-17

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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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Yeah "irregardless" bugs me too. Its a double negative and makes no sense. The word is "regardless" people.

I catch people not pronouncing "Supposedly" correctly quite often too. It often comes out "Supposubly". I am one of those people that like to correct people, my wife hates it.

Here in the midwest, people like to throw an "r" into words with a "wash" in them.

warsh
Warshington
warshing machine

makes them all sound like hicks

-- Edited by BrianS at 21:53, 2006-01-17

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NateO


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Date: Jan 17, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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Wouldn't that be 'likes', Brian?



Agreed on the 'r' bit; pretty silly!



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ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




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Date: Jan 17, 2006
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Here in Bristol, the locals put an 'L' on the end of any word ending with 'A'.


I've got a good ideal.


Lets go to Asdal.


Have you ever been to Africal?


Problem is they can't even hear it.  If you say 'idea' and 'ideal' in front of them, they'll swear that you're saying exactly the same word.


My younger brother lives in Nottingham where they frequently replace 't's with 'k's and 'a's with 'o's.  It particularly annoys him as he works in a hospikol.



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Zem YN3B


Really Bored Matress

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Date: Jan 18, 2006
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My unfavorite is "I could care less."  If you could care less that means you care, if only a little.  Wouldn't the correct term be "I couldn't care less?"  Has anybody else noticed this, or am I just crazy?

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ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




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Date: Jan 18, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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Zem YN3B wrote:


Wouldn't the correct term be "I couldn't care less?" 


Yup.  That's what those of us with a grasp of the finer points of the English language would say.


There's a guy in my office who keeps using the word 'racialist'.  It'd be ok, but he keeps having to deal with customers who make race relations claims against us, so he says it a lot.



-- Edited by ddvmor at 07:26, 2006-01-18

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sharkjf115


Professional Cheese Hater




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Date: Jan 18, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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In Bristol it's an L, in Plymouth an S.

For instance :

English : I'm going down to the shop to buy some lottery tickets.

Plymouthian : I's is going down the shops to get me some lotteries.

Pure class us Janners.

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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 18, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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sharkjf115 wrote:
In Bristol it's an L, in Plymouth an S.

For instance :

English : I'm going down to the shop to buy some lottery tickets.

Plymouthian : I's is going down the shops to get me some lotteries.

Pure class us Janners.


Sounds like a professor I used to have. He would always say "somewheres"

"I left my keys somewheres"

Oddly enough he was from Minnesota.

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NateO


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Date: Jan 18, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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Zem YN3B wrote:

My unfavorite is "I could care less."  If you could care less that means you care, if only a little.  Wouldn't the correct term be "I couldn't care less?"  Has anybody else noticed this, or am I just crazy?

I think this means that if you did care less, you actually care, one way or another. I think the saying means you don't care at all, i.e., in terms of caring, there would seem to be a void.


One of these guys:




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NateO


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BrianS wrote:

Sounds like a professor I used to have. He would always say "somewheres" "I left my keys somewheres" Oddly enough he was from Minnesota.

Pity. Even worse that he's Minnesotan; I'd give him a verbal flogging for such an egregious offense!



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Susan


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I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!



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Date: Jan 18, 2006
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NateO wrote:

BrianS wrote: Sounds like a professor I used to have. He would always say "somewheres" "I left my keys somewheres" Oddly enough he was from Minnesota. Pity. Even worse that he's Minnesotan; I'd give him a verbal flogging for such an egregious offense!

Why is it the American version of English words replaces c's with s's?


Funny thing happened this week actually...


I emailed a chap that had bought something from me on ebay simply saying "It's on its way" and he sends one back saying
"Incidentally,I am surprised and delighted to receive an email from somebody who understands the correct use of the apostrophe: you are obviously not greengrocers (or should that be greengrocer's?)."
So I responded asking if he's read 'Eats, shoots & leaves'...  We have now built up a correspendence of about 14 emails all on the subject of spelling, grammar, punctuation & syntax and the current state of linguistic affairs!



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Andromeda


Proud House-Owner




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Date: Jan 18, 2006
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The only ones that really get me are:


"f" instead of "th".. like "wif" instead of "with" that kind of thing


and my all time least favorite.. "fixin' to" which, I belive, is only a southern thing.


"I'm fixin' to go to the store" Why can't you just GO TO THE STORE? What needs to be fixed in order fo you to go to the store?



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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 19, 2006
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Andromeda wrote:
The only ones that really get me are:
"f" instead of "th".. like "wif" instead of "with" that kind of thing
and my all time least favorite.. "fixin' to" which, I belive, is only a southern thing.
"I'm fixin' to go to the store" Why can't you just GO TO THE STORE? What needs to be fixed in order fo you to go to the store?


I hate the ebonic translation of "fixin' to".....concatenated into "finna"

"I finna go to the store"

or in most cases

"I finna go to the stowe"



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bonniepirateanne


I ain't a Pirate and I ain't called Anne, but I sure am Bonnie!

(Mrs)




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Date: Jan 19, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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i love to hear people say stupid things.
it's amusing. and 'stowe' instead of 'store' is such a southern thing that i find it beautiful.


i am a fan of grammar (apart from the whole capitalisation thing which i don't do when i'm not in school )

the inability of people to distinguish between 'their', 'they're' and 'there' really GRINDS MY GEARS

oh oh oh! and the 'oxford comma' - in britishland we would list things like this:

dogs, cats and fish

usually, in the americanland they use that extra little COMPLETELY UNNCCESSARY comma:

dogs, cats, and fish

that pisses the life out of me . discuss.

that is all.

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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 19, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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bonniepirateanne wrote:
oh oh oh! and the 'oxford comma' - in britishland we would list things like this:

dogs, cats and fish

usually, in the americanland they use that extra little COMPLETELY UNNCCESSARY comma:

dogs, cats, and fish

that pisses the life out of me.


Actually, In America, the extra comma is correct the same as color is spelled without a u. Just a different dialect of the language, not incorrect.

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ddvmor


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Date: Jan 19, 2006
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Prove it.

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NateO


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Date: Jan 19, 2006
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bonniepirateanne wrote:

in britishland we would list things like this: dogs, cats and fish usually, in the americanland they use that extra little COMPLETELY UNNCCESSARY comma: dogs, cats, and fish that pisses the life out of me

I think what you're saying, is the opposite of what I notice. Both, in the U.S. are correct. But I find that it's the exception, not the rule, to see that extra comma.


And, for emphasis, I don't mind it, personally.



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Aodan


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Date: Jan 19, 2006
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The They're, There, Their thing is quite annoying you are correct. So is the Too, To thing... rattles my brains it does.

The comma thing has caused me immense grief because I'm never sure about it.

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BrianS


Still Number One

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Date: Jan 19, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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ddvmor wrote:
Prove it.


This is what UCLA has to say about it

http://www.english.ucla.edu/TA/hyperteach/HTML/comma_usage_files/comma_usage.html


Use a comma to separate the elements in a series (three or more things), including the last two. "He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base." You may have learned that the comma before the "and" is unnecessary, which is fine if you're in control of things. However, there are situations when, if you don't use this comma (especially when the list is complex or lengthy), these last two items in the list will try to glom together (like macaroni and cheese). Using a comma between all the items in a series, including the last two, avoids this problem. This last comma--the one between the word "and" and the preceding word--is often called the serial comma or the Oxford comma. In newspaper writing, incidentally, you will seldom find a serial comma, but that is not necessarily a sign that it should be omitted in academic prose.


Also here is a piece from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma


The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk and White's Elements of Style and most authorities on American English, Canadian English, and some authorities on British English — for example, Oxford University Press and Fowler's Modern English Usage — recommend the use of the serial comma. Newspaper style guides, such as those published by The New York Times, the Associated Press, and the Canadian Press recommend against it for reasons of space.


I guess it depends on the medium, literary vs newspaper

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ddvmor


I am the Jammie King!




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Date: Jan 19, 2006
RE: "Oftentimes"
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BrianS wrote:

However, there are situations when, if you don't use this comma (especially when the list is complex or lengthy), these last two items in the list will try to glom together (like macaroni and cheese). Using a comma between all the items in a series, including the last two, avoids this problem.

Actually, the way I read it, the extra comma is only neccessary if one is too dumb to write a proper list!


At least you guys have your British cousins to look up to in times of punctual crisis!



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