A chara, – To be honest, letters like that of Dáithí Mac Cárthaigh (Letters, July7th) on the decline of grammar, or indeed Gay Byrne on radio going on and on about the "correct" way to pronounce English words bore the socks off me.
As learned people they must realise that Ireland has a better educated, better informed scholarly population than ever in our history. Mr Mac Cárthaigh et al are looking back on an Ireland that never actually existed.
We never spoke our English like a certain nearby country which some people wish us to do. We, in Ireland, speak English with a different sentence structure, a different pronunciation and different accent and long may it remain so. – Is mise,
NOEL Mac CANNA
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Other examples of poor grammar sent to test us include the overuse and misuse of the pronoun “myself”, especially when used to start a sentence and the hugely used, incorrect “there’s” when “there are” is required.
Once you notice this, it will drive you crazy. It is misused by common folk and the media alike. Also “less” being used where “fewer” is correct; and lastly, the increasingly prevalent use of “Look!” and “So!” to start sentences. An Australian import, maybe? – Yours, etc,
LEE MURPHY-O’CONNOR
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I am listening to the decline of the present participle. Why are we starting to use the English expression “I was sat”, why not “I was sitting ”?
What use have we for the English adverb or adjective when every noun and verb can be propped up with the f-word instead? – Yours, etc.
FIDELMA O’BRIEN
Naas,
Co Kildare.