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[Tellemurius]

For those interested in improving their English can read this article: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php


edit: i just noticed they have unicorn hunting licenses and regulations on the left, don't remember any of that in Michigan


the complete list: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/complete_list.php

[Shade-o]

I think that they misunderestimate the intelligence of the average person.

[Tellemurius]

I think that they misunderestimate the intelligence of the average person.

Most of them make sense.

[SolarShado]

(just from looking at the first link) the only one that i really disagree with is "google" as a verb. it doesn't seem like an over-used meme like the others do.

[Enzo]

So... It's a list of "banished words" on a university website, but I don't have any context here. What are they banished from? Surely nobody would use "BFF" or "I'm just sayin'" in an academic context so...this is just a bunch of assholes bitching about words and phrases that annoy them, I guess?

The further I investigate this the further it seems to just be a bunch of pretentious dickery. Please explain why this is relevant to anything ever.

[The Merchant Of Menace]

Lulz?
I do hate things like this though. Language evolves, It's mostly people bitching cause the english they speak is out of date. Remember, today's slang, is tomorrows english.
In short, that list is full of epic fail and I'll be telling my BFF's to avoid googling or facebooking it.

[Vector]

I don't think the words should be banned.

That said, I think people should learn how to use them more precisely, so that their speech actually has meaning rather than turning into some odd slurry of buzzwords.  American English seems to have particular issues with this, perhaps due to our advertisement culture or my lack of knowledge of other languages.

In any case, I looked at a portion of the master list and agree that most of the choices have become a bit tired with overuse.

[Soadreqm]

Some of these words seem quite useful, and I don't really agree with the rationale behind discouraging their use. :/

[Aqizzar]

While I don't have any respect for the very concept of "banning" words, not least because it cannot actually be done, I do wholeheartedly agree with every point on the Lake Superior list.  Especially that "the American People" one; anytime you hear someone say that, they're dropping some grade A bullshit in the service of one or another much more specific group of people.

On the subject of banning: I don't know exactly where it is that the central story originates from, but there's quite a few school districts in the United States that ban any material that includes the word "nigger" from being present in their classrooms, libraries, and otherwise.  The American classic Huckleberry Finn, as a contextual novel about slavery in antebellum Missouri, has quite a few instances of said word.  So now there's a movement afoot to print new, censored editions of Mark Twain's novels, so they can be read in classrooms again, which is an awkward turn of events any way you slice it.

I'm pretty sure it's not a universal issue, because I know I read Huck Finn in highschool, but it's still a philosophical moment in the theory of education.

[Blargityblarg]

Some of those phrases I wasn't aware were even remotely common.

That said, I've been guilty of similar pedantry in the past (LESS AND FEWER ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE, RADIO PEOPLE. GET IT RIGHT.)

[Soadreqm]

While I don't have any respect for the very concept of "banning" words, not least because it cannot actually be done, I do wholeheartedly agree with every point on the Lake Superior list.  Especially that "the American People" one; anytime you hear someone say that, they're dropping some grade A bullshit in the service of one or another much more specific group of people.

"Black ice" got into the list in 2003, and I can't really think of a better term for the kind of thin, smooth layer of ice that is effectively invisible on a road surface. As for the latest list, "live" sounds kind of bland compared to "live life to the fullest", even if the latter contains words that are, technically speaking, redundant. And "the American people" could sound better than "Americans", especially in a public speech, where you'll probably want to be able to emphasize some things over others. These guys seem to have some kind of general vendetta against redundancy. What's so terrible about redundancy?

[Zangi]

Alright, so they want to pretend that they are better then us commoners?

Also, I don't get how they do it...

For example:

Yes / No  1985
Where is the reason for its banishment?

[The Merchant Of Menace]

It should give a reason if you click on the date. Most of the reasons are stupid and pedantic though.

[Karlito]

Holiday Nog – instead of egg nog. Let us return the egg to its proper place in Christmas. – Terrence Sweeny, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

... wut?

[Cthulhu]

I think that they misunderestimate the intelligence of the average person.

I see a non-word that should be banned right here.