Yes, I've seen this. It's quite clever, isn't it?

Oh dear. Him again? If it's meant as a parody it's not funny enough. If it's serious it's not funny.

It satisfies my prescriptivist tendency.

In this song he's just as childish as he accuses others of being. I like to think it's a parody of prescriptivists.

quote:

I like to think it's a parody of prescriptivists.

Goes without saying.

quote:

Originally posted by Proofreader:

quote:

I like to think it's a parody of prescriptivists.

Goes without saying.

Really? Because everyone I know who's seen it takes it at face value - that is, they think it's a criticism of people who don't use "proper English"

quote:

Really? Because everyone I know who's seen it takes it at face value - that is, they think it's a criticism of people who don't use "proper English"

I've been listening to Weird Al since he showed up playing his accordion on The Doctor Demento show back in the '80s. It seems he's a real peever, not a parodist of the peeververein. Just how I "read" the video. The hint is that he does not seem to be mocking the peevers as he does his other targets in other songs.

Yes, it seems Weird Al really is a peever. See Grammarly.

(H/T to Mar Rojo commenting on LL.)

At least from my reading of the interview, Al is parodying a song in a way that caricatures other rock artists grammar.

Everything I know about weird AL leads me to agree with zm. I think he is a genuine peever and the song is just a musical version of those "Top Ten Reasons Why You Are Ruining The English Language" lists.

He may be a real peever (I personally took it as a parody), but he doesn't know his grammar or syntax or whatever the peevers call it. From the interview arnie posted:

quote:

People that know me (or have seen the grammar-related videos that I’ve posted on my YouTube channel)

People that? They should have used a sic.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
People that? They should have used a sic.

There's nothing ungrammatical about "that" to refer to people.

By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me - Shakespeare, Hamlet

The woman who kissed him and - pinched his poke - was the lady that's known as Lou - Robert Service, The Shooting of Dan McGrew

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
(I personally took it as a parody)

A parody of what?

We know he's a grammar snob. I don't think he's parodying grammar snobs. He said "When I came up with the idea for 'Word Crimes,' I thought, ‘That's great because I'm always correcting people's grammar; it's kind of a big deal with me. In fact, I've done some funny videos for YouTube where I'm correcting road signs and making the grammar better on the highway and in the supermarket.’"

This song has got people talking. Even grammar girl doesn't like it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,

quote:

A parody of what?

Peevers. Grammar snobs. Whatever you call them. Whatever his background, that's how I took it. Perhaps that's not how he meant it, but it's how I took it.

People that seems wrong to me (things have changed since Shakespeare). I think it should be "who." However, I put it into Grammarly and it didn't correct it so you may be right. Perhaps I'm a peever. Interestingly, it did flag the statement for plagiarism, though not for grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation or style.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
(things have changed since Shakespeare)

But not that

If it sounds wrong to you don't use it. But pretty much all sources agree that it is standard English.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,