Grammar Gripe

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Okay, so DH and I just saw an Outback commercial, that's an "Austrlian" themed restaurant in the U.S. for those who've never heard of it...

Here's their new slogan, ready?

"Live Adventurous"

Can someone call the advertising agency that created this mess and explain you cannot pair a verb with an adjective? Or is there some new rule I unaware of?

[dsletten]

I think in the case of advertising there are no grammar rules. I've seen a lot worse! :(

[HayleyWriter]

The grammar rules are consistent, just the way people choose to apply the rules is not. It always amazes me when I see spelling and grammatical errors by advertising agencies. I always choose NOT to purchase the advertised product if the advertisers choose not to follow the rules and get the English right. However, I am sure we writers are in the minority, as many people who leave school these days can't do basic maths without a calculator or spell without a computer's spellcheck. These people won't even notice the errors in the advertising, so the advertisers get lazy too.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Funny thing is my husband is the one to point it out, and he is a non-writer engineering type. :) But we won't eat at our local Outback for another reason, other than the editorial gaff on the commercials. Our local branch smells like puke for some reason. We've gone twice, and both times it was horrible, even our 8 year old noticed it. He's funny to take out, because we've always taken him to restaurants and enforcing proper behavior, he is a well-mannered mini food critic. We were at a Japanese steak house, which he's been to many, what kid doesn't like the onion volcano? Well the guy's food wasn't very good, and he messed up two or three tricks. By the third one, our little mini-food critic announces to the table "He must be new." LOL. Kids do say the darnedest things...

[dsletten]

I think grammar rules are only important to English teachers, editors and those of us who are trying to make a living in the world of words. I've seen some pretty scary grammar written by company CEO's who are supposed to be well-educated as well as many other types of executives in business. And because the majority of people do not have good grammar, they don't notice the mistakes. I wouldn't be so hard on those who don't take grammar seriously, while it may make them look bad to those who do, the rest of the world just doesn't care. It's up to writers to care and get it right. :)

[HayleyWriter]

You are right - the rest of the world doesn't care. I just think that those involved in the world of words should include the advertising gurus too, as well as anyone writing in any format for the public sphere. I know I am in the minority though.

Hayley

[Celeste Stewart]

I disagree. Others outside of the world of writing DO care about grammar. I know this just from witnessing the attitudes of a few of my favorite people:
* My grandmother (she lived with us), whose only writing I ever saw involved the Sunday crossword puzzle, instilled the importance of grammar into me from day one.
* My father, a former cop and government agent, isn't a writer by trade but his reports, letters, and emails are extremely wellcrafted. You'd be hard pressed to find a mistake.
* My husband, a working class guy who has absolutely no interest in writing, can't stand that his best friend says, "I seen a cool car" and is embarassed that this same guy can barely communicate in writing. Though he's not a writer, my husband cares about grammar.

There's hope. Those are three examples of non-writers that care.

[HayleyWriter]

Bless you, Celeste for reminding us that there is hope and some others do care. However, I still maintain that those who write advertising copy should be concerned with writing grammatically correct copy. It is nice to know that other people do care about correct use of grammar too. I feel like less of a minority now.

[Celeste Stewart]

I bet the ad folks analyzed the heck out of that phrase and purposely broke the rule to be catchy, edgy, or give it an "aussie" sounding flair. It does kind of sound like something Crocodile Dundee might say.

[HayleyWriter]

Aaargghhhh! That's worse. How long is Crocodile Dundee going to haunt us Aussies? I mean, what other country is continually judged by the standards of a spoof (ironic comedy) movie made over 20 years ago? I know some Americans took Crocodile Dundee seriously, but to the Aussies it was just a big joke. We rolled in the aisles at the movies at the suggestions that Aussies were really like that! It was a comedy movie, sending up and exaggerating all the supposed 'characteristics' of an Aussie outback bloke. Suggesting that Aussies speak like the send up character of Crocodile Dundee is comparable to suggesting that all British people are like one of the characters from a Monty Python film. (I am NOT suggesting this is the case, so please don't get offended!)

Some Australians do care about the language and grammar too!

[Celeste Stewart]

I have an Aussie friend and I know that Crocodile Dundee is just a spoof; I think most Americans realize this. I'm sure he must be as irritating to Australians as the Frito Bandito and Speedy Gonzales are to Mexicans.

I'm thinking Outback Steakhouse was going for a tongue-in-cheek attempt at sounding goofy and Crocodile Dundee-ish. My Aussie friend's language is impeccable - another example to add to my list of non-writers who care about grammar - plus her accent is super cool!

Edited for grammar *sheepish grin*

[dsletten]

Hayley - Don't feel bad about everyone thinking Aussies are just like Crocodile Dundee, I hate that everyone thinks Minnesotan's talk and act like the characters in the movie Fargo. Fargo isn't even in Minnesota - it's in North Dakota! But everyone is always trying to talk with that phoney Minnesota accent and think they are funny. It drives me crazy! But when I moved here from California, everyone told me I had an accent. Weird. :)

[Celeste Stewart]

Like Oh My God! Did you have a valley girl accent? Totally! :)

I slept through Fargo, so I don't even know what a Fargo/fake Minnesota accent sounds like.

Funny little regional quirks. Gotta love them though. It's kind of funny how our own voices quickly conform to the local accent. When I moved to South Carolina as a teen, I didn't think I had picked up the southern drawl. But I found out after moving to southern California that indeed I had! The southern accent is long gone, but I do occasionally hear a valley girl lilt in my voice. I do take comfort that at least I don't respond in Japanese when someone speaks to me in Spanish like my mom does.

[HayleyWriter]

Thanks for the laughs - you have both just brightened my day! I could just hear the valley girl accent in "Like Oh My God". It is amazing how you can't hear your own accent, just anyone else's that sounds different to your own. Celeste - your mother is extremely multi-lingual. I can't speak another language, let alone think in one, hear something in another, and reply in a third!

Accent, different words, and differences in spelling are hard enough for me to cope with as an Aussie writer, and I'm grateful I don't have to transpose my writing into a second language too. I find that every now and then I get caught on an Aussie saying that just isn't popular overseas. A client picked me up on "heaps", as in "This program offers users a heap of features". I never even thought of that as a colliquism. There are other words or phrases I never realised were Australian until I started writing here. I still get frustrated at the American habit of losing the u in words like "colour", but it is making me review my writing closely to ensure I am not writing in Australian.

I did have a personal giggle at the typo in the post that started this thread - "Austrlian" - We do have a running joke that some Australians (especially those from the regional or country areas - actually, I mean "the outback, mate!") pronounce the word with a drawl and miss the first "aus" so that it comes out "'straalon" or "'Strlaaan" rather than accentuating the first syllable and the li as in "oztrayleean". It is extremely difficult to explain the humour (I mean humor) and the accent in this, but hopefully you get the idea.

Hayley

[Celeste Stewart]

Fuunny! Note the extra 'u' - that's for your benefit :) Oops, not appropriate. Wrong 'u' ruule. G'nite mate. It's late on this side of the pond. Oh wait, is it a pond between here and there? Hmmn.