PSA: the plural of "gear" is "gear"

[Videri]

To clarify, my pretend anger is merely for humor's sake; and it is not directed at people whose first language is not English. I'll always respect the hard work of learning a new language. I'm studying Spanish myself. It's not easy.

How is the usage of "gears" to refer to "gear" slang? It's not like pronouncing "garbage" with a soft g as in the classic dad joke. "Garbazh."

Anyway, people who are learning English and people who just don't know any better will be led astray by misuse of the word "gears" to refer to "gear," which is already a kind of plural noun just like "armor" and "water" and "equipment."

Originally Posted by entruil [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

What about loots....

I always loots my gears.

Oh man, "loots" is also misused...painfully. hehe [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] If you got one item, you got loot. If you got two items, you got loot. Only bards should be talking about lutes!

[Videri]

Originally Posted by jolanar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

gearii

Listen here, you!

[Benanov]

Originally Posted by Videri [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

How is the usage of "gears" to refer to "gear" slang? It's not like pronouncing "garbage" with a soft g as in the classic dad joke. "Garbazh."

Anyway, people who are learning English and people who just don't know any better will be led astray by misuse of the word "gears" to refer to "gear," which is already a kind of plural noun just like "armor" and "water" and "equipment."

Oh man, "loots" is also misused...painfully. hehe [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] If you got one item, you got loot. If you got two items, you got loot. Only bards should be talking about lutes!

English never met a word it didn't like. It's highly mutable, and sometimes those words escape and go elsewhere.

I to this day will call Incoming when a restaurant server is bringing food to my table.



"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--James D. Nicoll

[Evia]

Originally Posted by Halfcell [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think when people say "get some gears" they are using it as slang. They don't actually think the plural of gear is gears. I suspect this problem is more likely a failure on your part to understand the affectations of common speech than it is theirs in understanding proper english.

Qft

[indiscriminate_hater]

what's it like being poor in EQ?

[Videri]

Originally Posted by Benanov [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

English never met a word it didn't like. It's highly mutable, and sometimes those words escape and go elsewhere.

I to this day will call Incoming when a restaurant server is bringing food to my table.



"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
--James D. Nicoll

Sure, English is mutable, but its flexibility serves a purpose. Taking the U out of colour improves it by simplifying it. Using "they" to refer to a single person of unspecified gender adds flexibility. Saying inc instead of incoming is more efficient. But adding an S to a word which is already plural is not an improvement or alternate usage or colloquialism...it's pointless. I'm still curious to hear why "gears" qualifies as slang. Are you guys saying it's like a nickname for gear? Like calling Mike "Mikey"?

[fadetree]

It's a form of infantilism, in which imitating the way that a young or mentally challenged person might construct grammar is used for usually humorous effect. So it's a slang usage rather than an actual slang word. It works a lot better when all participants know that it's actually incorrect, from which you deduce that the person is being humorous. If the person does NOT know that, then it's just kind of sad.

It's like, that, man. GET ME SOME GEARS.

[Fammaden]

shuddup n gimmie mah lewtz!!!1

[Videri]

Originally Posted by fadetree [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It's a form of infantilism, in which imitating the way that a young or mentally challenged person might construct grammar is used for usually humorous effect. So it's a slang usage rather than an actual slang word. It works a lot better when all participants know that it's actually incorrect, from which you deduce that the person is being humorous. If the person does NOT know that, then it's just kind of sad.

It's like, that, man. GET ME SOME GEARS.

Well explained. I can accept this reasoning. I myself like to say things incorrectly on purpose, often including a little clue that I'm being sarcastic or hyperbolic.

[Swish2]

But is it luck linen or loose linen?