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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gordon A. Langston who wrote (23122)	7/8/2000 12:00:52 AM
From: Father Terrence	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

From Merriam-Webster Online: IRREGARDLESS Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less Pronunciation: "ir-i-'gärd-l&s Function: adverb Etymology: probably blend of irrespective and regardless Date: circa 1912 nonstandard : REGARDLESS usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

To: Gordon A. Langston who wrote (23122)	7/8/2000 12:12:57 AM
From: haqihana	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 769667

Gordon, But, lawdog/rachel is a lawyer, and the smartest it on the planet. He will tell you that at every opportunity, except when he is calling people names, or making idle threats. ~;=;o --haqi

To: Gordon A. Langston who wrote (23122)	7/8/2000 8:42:04 AM
From: nihil	Respond to of 769667

You are wrong on both counts. "Agreeance" is a word in the OED rated obsolete, an obsolete word, and in regular use today so not so obsolete. "Irregardless" is also a word, even though Justice Rehnquist berates a lawyer for using it. Check the AHD3rd which calls it nonstandard and disapproves but lists it. As Gertrude Stein said -- "Rose is a rose is a rose .." a word regardless (or should we say here irregardless) of whence it comes or its bastard ancestry (like "sociology") is a word. It doesn't even need a meaning (rubdub tree, runcible) we make them up as we go along. A little info to lighten up your day: "Regardless Versus Irregardless Irregardless first appeared in print in 1912 as an item in the American Dialectal Dictionary and later in the 1923 Literacy Digest article "Is There Such a Word as Irregardless in the English Language?" The Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage felt so strongly about lawyers using the correct term that the editor listed regardless and irregardless. The dictionary clearly explains the correct usage for both of these words. Regardless (=without regard to) should not be used for despite (=in spite of). E.g., "The appellants voted to reject the plan, reiterating the grounds for their suit against Martin; regardless of [read "despite’] the appellants vote, the plan was approved by two-thirds of the creditors voting for the plan." Irregardless is a "semiliterate word formed from irrespective and regardless that should long ago have been stamped out." Irregardless is common enough in speech in the U.S. that it has found its way into judicial opinions. The U.S. Supreme Court’s Chief Justice William Rehnquist "upbraided a lawyer who used irregardless, saying: "I feel bound to inform you there is no word irregardless in the English language. The word is regardless. Linguistic Fastidiousness is no less important in oral than written argument." The American English Usage Dictionary based on Fowler’s Modern English Usage briefly chastens the word irregardless. Nicholson says the word seldom gets in print, but is "occasionally heard in speech from people who should know better." She strongly suggests that the readers use the word regardless in its place. The Encyclopedic Dictionary of English Usage states that irregardless is an "incorrect form of regardless." The correct form, regardless, is an adjective and should be used with the word "of". The Concise Dictionary of American Grammar and Usage compactly states that irregardless is a "faulty mixed construction made from irrespective and regardless." The Reader’s Digest Success With Words: A Guide to the American Language defines irregardless as a "nonstandard or humorous usage." Another Reader’s Digest word book Write Better, Speaker Better, states categorically, "There is no such word as irregardless . . . The usage writer offers judgments and recommendations, and behind statements that such words as irregardless, normalcy, or hopefully ‘don’t exist,’ you must always understand an implication that in the writer’s opinion they should not exist because they are bad English." Mr. Davies recommendation is: "Don’t say or write irregardless unless you don’t care what your audience may think." The third edition of the American Heritage Dictionary lists both regardless and irregardless. It states that regardless is an adverb that means "in spite of everything, anyway: continues to work regardless. As an adjective, it means "heedless; unmindful." Regardless of is a preposition that means in spite of, with no heed to: freedom for all, regardless of race or creed. Irregardless is listed as a Non-Standard adverb and gives one of American Heritage Dictionary’s famous USAGE NOTES: The label Non-Standard does only approximate justice to the status of IRREGARDLESS. More precisely, it is a form that many people mistakenly believe to be a correct usage in formal style but that in fact has no legitimate antecedents in either standard or nonstandard varieties. (The word was likely coined from a blend of irrespective and regardless.) Perhaps this is why critics have sometimes insisted that there is "no such word" as irregardless, a charge they would not level at a bona fide non-standard word such as ain’t, which has an ancient genealogy. Irregardless is one of those words that is either used naturally without a person realizing he has used or heard it. Or–When the word irregardless is used in speech or is used in writing, the hearer or reader wants to gouge out the tongue of the user. Even Windows 97 highlights irregardless as a usage problem and suggests regardless instead. The consensus is do not use irregardless unless you do not care about what others think about you. If you do care what others think about you, use regardless in your speech and writing. However, the status of irregardless may be changing. This word is less that 100 years old, but seems to be gaining popularity, even among the educated. Irregardless is appearing in speech and print more frequently. Maybe this is one of those words that some of us will just have to get used to hearing, IRREGARDLESS of how we feel about it. " compiled by Janis McKinney