The shadowlands of language
“Irregardless” is part of a penumbra of unorthodox English words
WHAT, THE actor Jamie Lee Curtis recently asked on Twitter, could make 2020 even more dismal? Her somewhat surprising answer: “Merriam-Webster just officially recognised ‘irregardless’ as a word.” A horrified emoji followed; 27,000 people signalled agreement with a “Like”. Many others tweeted independently about their dismay.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “The shadowland”
From the July 25th 2020 edition
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