Language evolution or just ignorance?

[Leman (Andy)]

A couple of decades ago I started to notice something in Wargames magazines, rulebooks and fora. The past tense of the the verb 'to lead' was beginning to be rendered as the noun for the metal lead, rather than led. This is still happening, with some people using one variation whilst others favour the more correct version.

Which leads me (see what I did there?) to my latest grumble: the confused, and thus misused, use of the words alternative and alternate. The important one for wargamers is ALTERNATE, meaning first one thing, then the other, then the first thing again and so on. I will take my turn, then you take your turn, as this set of  rules uses the alternate turn system.

ALTERNATIVE, on the other hand, means one thing instead of, or in preference to, another. Thus: I would prefer fish as an alterative to meat, or We could go to the mountains for a hike or alternatively we could go to the seaside for the day.

If you apply this to wargame turns then you may as well say, "This game uses the alternative move system; you take your turn using the rules in Conquerors and Kings, then I take my turn using the alternative rules of Hail Caesar." I almost rest my case, but here are two examples from the same issue of a wargames magazine.
a) "Alternately upgrade the Britons with......." The article then presents an ALTERNATIVE  army list.
b) The new Lion Rampant 2 rule summary at the end of a review describes the game as having  "Activation: alternative turn."

[Administrator]

Activation: alternative turn."

That is an alternative use of alternate

[martin goddard]

"In this game you must take a morale test if there are any causalities"

along with

"you must check the moral status of your  infantry"


martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

More likely this is also to do with 'system' ignorance. Spellchecking etc. often inserts an inappropriate term if you are not extra vigilant.
Also EAASL. In my particular area Cannon vs Canon seems to flummox most S Asian military historians...

Neil

[Colonel Kilgore]

Andy,

You make a good point. I'd not come across this "alternative" (but wholly incorrect) use of these words in the wargames literature.

With "lead" and "led", it's less a matter of "more correct" than plain "right vs. wrong!

I know that the causality of my little men's casualties is generally linked to bad generalship.

I also know that Martin is entirely free of moral constraint when trying to inflict morale tests on me.

Words matter 

Simon

[John Watson]

Burnt or burned?
John

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Sounds like the tranny tipsetter from the Grauniad shood be fried...

[Leman (Andy)]

? 

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Showing my age... The Guardian newspaper went through a phase of laughable spelling mistakes. I think it was Private Eye that came out with a spoof paper advert for a trainee typesetter full of spelling errors...

Neil

[mellis1644]

Living North of the US we have the serious issue of US spelling and grammar creep in Canada. Spell check for Canadian/British English usually has American spelling/grammar anyway in most systems. <sigh>

One of my pet hate is 'the most winningest coach/team'. Who the heck came up with that awful phrase...Whats wrong with 'the team/coach who as won the most'... 

[John Watson]

Puts me in mind of my, then, very young daughter who would say that we were "in the front of the lead" if we were the first car in a queue. She would also tell me to "bip the hoop" and that I was "speeding the limit". Her best one though was a "mix mazer". That's a cement mixing lorry to you and me.
John

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

When my eldest was much younger she referred to tarmac as 'traffic jam' which is pretty clever when you think of it...

Neil

[Big Mike]

Showing my age... The Guardian newspaper went through a phase of laughable spelling mistakes. I think it was Private Eye that came out with a spoof paper advert for a trainee typesetter full of spelling errors...

Neil

Yes, I remember. They called it The Grauniad!
Mike

[Leman (Andy)]

Certainly in my circles The Guardian is still referred to as The Grauniad.

[mellis1644]

I think this kinds of applies -

P.S. This reminds when living in the UK have a 'discussion' with a protestor in a shopping mall - their banner stated 'DON'T TAX READING'... As we were in the Reading shopping center I had a fun few minutes of getting them quite frustrated asking why this city should not be taxed.