<p>Say it with me people; Conversate is not a word!!!</p>
<p>Okay, maybe I am not up to date with current street slang, but it still does not mean that conversate a word!</p>
<p>Oh sybbie, I agree. We had a huge fight at my school about hiring a teacher who used conversate in her job interview. I still don’t know if I voted the right way on that one. BTW my spellcheck is telling me that it’s not a word. Of course it says spellcheck isn’t a word either!</p>
<p>I’m guilty of the “No problem” instead of “You’re welcome”, I’m not sure why I started saying it, but I’ve been trying to avoid it since I became aware that many people hate it.</p>
<p>“Task” used as a verb. I first heard it sued that way when Condoleeza Rice was testifying on the Hill, and it really irritated me. She’s generally very well-spoken, whether or not one agrees with the content! :)</p>
<p>In the South, “Bless her/his heart!”</p>
<p>Usually followed by an insult, “Bless her heart, her a** is as wide as a semi-truck!”</p>
<p>I guess I’m fortunate that I haven’t heard more than 60% of these phrases.</p>
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<p>Looks like it’s getting to be one. I’ve never used or even heard it, but it’s in the dictionary:</p>
<p>1 dictionary results for: Conversate
Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English - Cite This Source - Share This Main Entry: conversate
Part of Speech: v
Definition: to socialize and chat; to converse with another
Etymology: back-formation from conversation
Usage: slang </p>
<p>Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7)
Copyright © 2003-2008 Dictionary.com, LLC
Cite This Source</p>
<p>I never see this mentioned, but it seems to me that I didn’t hear the word “need” used excessively until the 1980’s, when I had my kids. I noticed it at daycare, as in , “You need to finish your lunch” or “I need you to pick up your toys.” Until then, it was “You have to finish your lunch” or “You must pick up your toys.” I remember thinking how odd it sounded at the time, and it has been used since then. Was it a new usage then or just new to me?</p>
<p>…and this always sounds strange: When I ask a cashier if the store carries a certain item, and the answer is “We sure don’t.” I’m always surprised by that.</p>
<p>“Not” when said to contradict the sentence that went before. As in</p>
<p>“He’s a very funny guy. NOT!” </p>
<p>Appropriate to CC: "I’m going to university in the fall " has always sounded strange to me. I know it’s a common phrase in other areas of the world.</p>
<p>^Yeah, like “maths”.</p>
<p>Roshke - When my D was at school in Germany, she was marked wrong on her “Englisch” test because she included an article on sentences like “going to university” or “in hospital.” I ended up emailing a linguist (in California, I think) who explained that including the article was normal American English except in parts of New York. The exception was with the word “church” - “going to church” is proper useage unless you are specifying the building itself. D took the email to her Englisch teacher, who replied that they were teaching British Englisch and it was still wrong. (Sometimes Germans are inflexible. 
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<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but at first blush, I was quite ready to write this thread off. Ponder, if you will, the fact that regional and geographic colloquialisms are just part of the shifting paradigms of modern culture. I could care less if one believes or not, but take a chill pill and realize it’s just part of globalization and instant communication resulting from the internet.</p>
<p>Don’t take this wrong. We can conversate about specifics, and argue this till the cows come home, but I task anyone to present data disputing this position.</p>
<p>It is what it is. Touch base with reality here people. Get with the program.</p>
<p>And have a good one.</p>
<p>Vdad–I don’t think we’re on the same page.</p>
<p>roshke, “not” reminds me of the movie, “Borat”. </p>
<p>Violadad, LOL! It is really irritating that you could not include more phrases! Not!</p>
<p>And from the musical world, another favorite: concertize.</p>
<p>“He has concertized in noted venues in Europe, Asia, and North America…”</p>
<p>Wat happened to “played”? “Appeared”? </p>
<p>I dunno. Beats me.</p>
<p>“Partner” as a verb is annoying and overused. “They plan to partner with another nonprofit on this fundraiser.”</p>
<p>I also particularly dislike the word “tasty.” WHAT does it taste like?!</p>
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<p>binx-vat do you mean ve are inflexzeeble? Ve are following zee eggzact rules stipulated in all zee noted texts. Dis is an outrage! Gott en himmel, woman!</p>
<p>Spot on, violadad!</p>
<p>binx, That is interesting that your daughter’s answers were marked as being incorrect. I have wondered if this is an informal, if widely accepted usage over there - I guess not!</p>
<p>LOL Binx, I’ve heard the same complaint from German students who happened to have spent time in the US. Very annoying. That dropped article is the one Britishism that I really loathe - it just sounds wrong to me.</p>
<p>To go along with “conversate” and “concertize”, some newscasters have taken to saying “efforting”, as in “We are efforting to get more information on this story”. I don’t hear it as often now as I did a year or so ago, but it has been used by local and cable newspeople. I never heard it used on network news, thank goodness.</p>