Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Study: Grammar geeks 'aren't as nice' as regular folks

Somehow you knew it all along, those of you who hate being hounded by grammar snobs.

You’re just a better class of human being. Now a study proves it.

The study reveals that “people obsessed with grammar aren’t as nice as everybody else,” Mashable reports.

A New York University linguistics professor tells Mashable that those with “a more fastidious personality type would be inclined to have a more judgmental view of deviance from perceived linguistic norms.”

In other words, if you are annoyed by grocers offering a discount on banana’s, you probably trample the neighbor’s flowerbeds for fun and kick your pet skunk when you have a bad day at work.

[FREE DOWNLOAD: 10 punctuation essentials]

Naturally, Twitter worked itself into conniptions at the news. (When doesn’t it?) For those who can’t tell the difference between its and it’s, the day afforded the opportunity to demonstrate their greater decency to those tetchy grammar snobs.

Many of these kind folk reacted modestly to the news that they were models of benevolence.

Other nice folks shared the biting sentiment that not only are grammar snobs mean, they’re also supremacist bigots.

Some of the kinder and gentler people, however, were vowing no more Mr. Nice Guy when dealing with those grammar goons.

For those tormented by the linguistic descendants of Vlad the Impaler, perhaps the Mashable article will provide ammunition. Print it out and show it to your witch of a mother next time she corrects you. Tell her it’s not your fault that you’re kinder than she is.

Speaking of grumps, it seemed only fair to seek out the reaction of a crotchety colleague, Executive Editor Rob Reinalda (AKA @word_czar). Significantly, he did not deny his grammatical grouchiness. [Editor’s note: Instead, he graciously offered cogent insight into the plight of the ardent linguist.]

“Sensitivity to bad grammar, garbled syntax or erroneous word usage is a lot like an allergy,” he sniffed. “These irritants bombard the afflicted in a way that others simply don’t understand. It’s not a matter of being cranky by choice but rather a feeling of being assaulted, as some of us have when pollen becomes airborne in springtime. For grammarians, though, there’s no pill to provide relief.”

While some tweeted salvoes at the grammar geeks, others—more kindhearted folk—found it in their hearts to appreciate those quarrelsome quibblers.

Awful Awfully big of her to concede it.

@ByWorking

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