Language is a very intriguing topic that can be discussed literally forever.

That is my favourite pet peeve. The word 'literally' seems to be the most abused word in the English language. I heard someone on a travel show say they "literally had a bird's eye view" while hangliding. It is rife throughout journalism and if you try to edit it out the response is usually - don't be a pretentious prick.

So that is what people who have a love for English tend to be labelled - pretentious. I do not correct people when they make mistakes, aside from close friends, as this simply causes a great amount of tension and actually does make you seem pretentious, lecturing people all the time. But I do cringe a lot when I hear words mutilated in speech or on the page.

It is quite interesting with the pronunciation of words by Americans though. Many of their pronunciations of words like 'grass' are actually correct. The 'ass' sound rather than the 'arse' sound is the correct one. But correct for whom and from when?

English is a very changeable language as certain words come into or go out of favour (the word bloody, now seen as somewhat of a swearword was actually a very common word in the 1800's and not considered vulgar in any sense - ladies in polite company used it frequently). But the modern erosion of the language, with internet and sms shorthand coupled with the apparent disinterest of parents and the school system in the education of children, is a very worrying trend indeed.

I guess I better watch the step down off the soapbox. It seems a little higher than when first I stepped upon it.

Jason