| | Misled by the search for truthJanuary 7, 2012 - Brad Siddons Here's one from the Department of Redundancy Department … “Hey, Joe, where are you AT?” Oh, but that one does bother me, and not just for the reason that the word “at” is simply not necessary. Adding that superfluous preposition at the end of the simple question, well, it just looks DUMB. Actually, I take partial blame. Oh not me PERSONALLY, you understand, but my generation. You see, I believe the tendency began back in the 1960s, when a lot of people seemed bent on determining just where “it” was “at” as in “Hey, man, where's it at?” Clearly, the dude above could just as well have asked, “Hey, man, where is it?” He would have been grammatically correct, of course, but … Anyone who was around back then, and is foolish enough to admit it, would concede that the correct version just doesn't have the right ZING! now does it? Anyway, that's no excuse for all the other misuses of the word “at.” Not even if you have finally figured out where “it” is. Just let me know, man. Article Comments(2)zfbilgerJan-27-12 5:26 PM Funniest thing I've read all week. Also, @josiejo: the origin of "it's all" probably lies in the area's strong lingual ties to German. In some cases the word "alle" means, grammatically, gone. For example, "die Milch ist alle" means "the milk is gone" or "we are out of milk." Given the strong links between English and German, anyway, the fact that a phrase like this would carry over to the English speakers of central PA makes sense. josiejoJan-27-12 10:31 AM That...and "it's all." "All what?" I ask. "All gone?" Or "towards" instead of "toward." How about something is further instead of farther. Makes me want to tear my hair out! Post a Comment | in: News, Blogs & Events Web  |
