29 January 2012

Semantics

These are things that have bothered me for ages:

It is no longer "The Ukraine." It's just "Ukraine." Ukraine is its own independant nation now. It is not a part of the Soviet Union (which no longer exists as such). I have been told that Ukrainians do not like it when you say things about "The Ukraine" because it implies they are still under the thumb of the Russians. Stop saying it. If you are reffering to Ukraine during a time when it was under Soviet or Russian control, it is okay to refer to it as "The Ukraine." But otherwise knock it off.

Stop saying you had the stomach flu or the flu if you did not really have influenza. Influenza's most common symptoms are chills, fever, muscle pains, sore throat and a hacking cough that makes you want to die. Throwing up is not usually a symptom of influenza. If you are having gastrointestinal problems, you likely do not have the flu. Instead, say that you have a stomach bug.

Don't refer to somebody's child as their "adopted child." It's rude. Unless you are making a point of telling about the adoption or some other situation where you need to point out that the child is adopted, it is generally uncalled for.

I feel glad to have gotten all that out of my system. Thanks for obliging me.

4 comments:

Jana said...

Amen. I will admit that I do use the term 'stomach flu' but I do understand that it is NOT influenza. My favorite is when people get a stomach bug sometime during the winter and cite that as evidence that flu shots don't work (or when the two events occur near each other they blame the virus ON the shot). I usually want to scream.

heidikins said...

One thing that drives me bonkers is when people refer to their kids as "the children." I don't know why it drives me batty, as it is technically grammatically correct, but it just drives me nuts.

Blargh.
xox

Science Teacher Mommy said...

What about when my mom says "the BYU?" How about if I just pull out my hair and scream next time!

trishtator said...

Three for three! But really, the influenza one is worth at least 100 points extra. Worst phrase in the world.