By that, I mean what’s thing have you done that’s the most likely for someone to react with “how the heck could you have done that on accident?”

My example: I successfully cooked a prime rib on accident. I was in charge of the house while everyone else was gone, and there was a prime rib slow-cooking in the oven. The problem was that a mist was coming out of the vents, and I didn’t know it was normal. So I’d see the mist, turn off the oven, call my parents and grandfather, they would assure me it’s normal, I’d turn the oven back on, and the cycle would continue because I don’t risk that stuff. When they finally came home, we had the prime ribs for dinner, and the way I caused it to cook actually improved it. They bit out of it and immediately said “this is the best prime rib I’ve ever had”. Thus I accidentally cooked a good prime rib. That’s a positive experience anyways.

What some might say is my most profound negative example: There was a Minecraft level that was a replica of the whole nation of Denmark, and while the features that would allow it to otherwise be destroyed were disabled, I accidentally found the glitch that led to its demise and eventual conquest by America.

      • adam_y@lemmy.worldEnglish
        152·
        9 hours ago

        I did. Quite a few. Even taught a couple.

        Here’s the thing. You aren’t entirely wrong.

        Language can be studied and taught in two distinct ways.

        There’s prescriptive language, which teaches, “this is how language should be used”.

        And there’s descriptive language, which teaches, “this is how language is actually used”.

        You are clearly leaning into the latter there, and that is fine. However, it does miss the point that for effective and articulate communication, rules are pretty useful.

        Think of it like a programming language where you have to be very specific around syntax to get the exact thing you want.

        Obviously, spoken and written English is far more forgiving. In fact we can say something really specific without saying it at all due to cultural and situational inference.

        But prescriptive English forms a baseline for effective communication across what should be the broadest scope of a population.

        Anyway, “on accident” is an Americanism. Thought to exist because of a conflation of “on purpose”. If anything this conflation is an attempt to enforce a rule, to make language more prescriptive than allowing for the differences in “by” and “on”.

        Now, let’s deal with that jibe in your comment that I never took English class.

        Class.

        You talk about the working class. Then you talk about prescriptive language and being all cool with that. Then you seek to belittle me by undermining my education. You say that the correct way of speaking is for posh people yet you criticise my understanding of language.

        That would make you a hypocrite, wouldn’t it?

        • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
          5·
          8 hours ago

          You could’ve just replied “Wank”, Adam

          aLl tHaT mATTerS iS the reCiPieNT unDeRStAnDs yOu

          😂

        • MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          32·
          7 hours ago

          Fair points, I was judgemental in the way I said it all, I apologise. Seems like were mostly on the same page though and you do understand my point a lot and yeah I do think descriptive is way more important than prescriptive, even more so on a social media platform.