It feels like a healthy progression until words start getting butchered inadvertently (see “supposably”), giving the word police and grammar Nazis easy ammunition.
Somewhere in that grey area between verbal evolution and devolution is the phrase “irregardless,” which has become something of a local trademark. Although the word first appeared in the English language in the early 20th century, it’s not entirely clear how “irregardless” came into popular use.
Perhaps reluctantly, Merriam-Webster dictionary has accepted the term as a nonstandard version of regardless.
Irregardless has been so widely accepted that it’s ingrained in Miami-speak, has become fodder for New Times‘ own humble satire, and occasionally can be heard on the city commission dais. (Irregardless of how ridiculous the word may sound, pretend you hear “regardless” because they mean the same thing and you could save yourself a headache-inducing argument.)
Miami Confession: I have used “irregardless” on the dais.
— Ken Russell (@kenforflorida) August 17, 2018
Still, not everyone is willing to embrace the role of irregardless in the English language.
The term has clocked in at number 8 on the Lake Superior State University’s (LSSU) annual Banished Words List, which highlights the top ten most overused and misused words that people would like to cast into an abyss in the New Year.
The tongue-in-cheek list, released since the late 1970s, received more than 1,500 nominations from around the world for words and phrases that are “overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical—and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating.”
While some may be hesitant to abandon “irregardless,” the Michigan university says the word is redundant, and that “opponents disqualified it as a double negative.” One nominator wrote to LSSU, “It makes my hair hurt.”
“As well it should—because it’s not a word. At most, it’s a nonstandard word, per some dictionaries,” professes the Banished Words List. “‘Regardless’ suffices.”
One commenter claimed, “The prefix ‘ir’ + ‘regardless’ = redundancy.” Another complained, “Take ‘regardless’ and dress it up for emphasis, showcasing your command of nonexistent words.”
What other atrocities made the Banished Words List?
Well, “GOAT” AKA Greatest of All Time, took the cake. The university says the term topped the list for “overuse, misuse, and uselessness.” The phrase is being thrown around with nauseating frequency and at times has been watered down to refer to “anyone who’s really good,” according to the Banished Words List.
The remaining entries were “inflection point,” “quiet quitting,” “gaslighting,” “moving forward,” “amazing,” “does that make sense?” — along with “absolutely,” and “it is what it is.”
“Words and terms matter. Or at least they should. Especially those that stem from the casual or causal. That’s what nominators near and far noticed, and our contest judges from the LSSU School of Arts and Letters agreed,” preached Peter Szatmary, executive director of communications at Lake Superior State University.
Supposably, other Miami signature terms are at risk of making the banished word list in the coming years.
Irregardless, bro, we suspect Miami slang is here to stay.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
