these days, i see this word being used and abused over and over again. was at lunch earlier and heard a lady beside me said "last week, my hubby and i celebrated our 11th-month anniversary, next month we will be celebrating our 1-year anniversary". and to confirm i did not remember my vocabulary wrongly, i did a check on the meaning again in the internet. i was right. all dictionaries i surfed list "anniversary" as an annual day of commemorating an event... not weekly, monthly or for that matter, daily... hmmm...
is this a symptom of a larger issue of us being not serious about our languages? much as i hope it is not... i am quite certain i am wrong. it is very sad indeed. i strongly believe that if we want to use any particular language, we should make sure we use it correctly. and more importantly, be understood, not just amongst our own friends, but amongst all speakers.
picture from http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/news/849-the-word-‘stigma’-when-attached-to-mental-health.html
2 comments:
I have noted that some people do use the term "anniversary" inappropriately. However, I do not think it is a case of them not being understood. I am sure people will know what they mean when they say things like "three month anniversary". They just sound uneducated, that's all.
(btw, I find your verification tool for posting comment quite difficult. I often have to click refresh numerous times in order to find something that I can attempt.)
auri.
Agree... But I do think it is really regretful that people need to second guess what they meant and not know it right away from the words used. And seriously, I can simply imagine how nonsensical Singaporeans would sound like to, say, Australians or Americans when we use words without two hoots about the correct meanings... Potential communications nightmare! :-)
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