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Most fun is less fun than funnest
Take a look at the twitter page for the search term funnest. The posts are mostly in response to Apple's ad campaign for "The funnest iPod ever." How can we not bow down to Apple's grip on our minds. Steve Jobs has to be weeping with pride right now. It's a great ad campaign.
Of course you know how I stand on the lexical issue. It's a word. Why? Because people use it and understand it. Lots of people.
Some of the comments in the against column (and my childish response following each):
marmon: Oh no. "Funnest" *is* in the dictionary?
--RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!
jessedyck: Does this mean it's officially ok to use funnest as a word?
--Does this mean you've been waiting for permission?
blankbaby: Language is a living thing, it is true. But additions should look/feel right... and funnest just looks and sounds wrong to me. So there.
--Where can I submit my suggestions for your approval?
gregscott: Think different
and funnest
cannot be considered grammatically correct, can they? At best this is slang.
--No. At best it's grammatical. Slang isn't a grammaticality judgment. It's a style.
RyanMtz: Um, Apple. Last time I checked, "funnest" wasn't a word. ;]
--Check again. ;]
jmelloy: My English teacher mother said this once re: funnest: *rolls eyes* It's not a word, but people use it like a word. So it's a word.
--So does your English teacher mother know what she thinks?
_ds: but i do hate the word "funnest"
--At least you realize it's a word. But do you hate it as much as panties and moist?
I could go on. But I'm already bored and you're not reading anymore.
Thanks Mxrk
Sheesh. Once it crosses the word category boundary - which fun did a while ago, from noun to predicate adjective to attributive adjective - it's subject to all the morphology of the adjective.
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah. Funnest. It's a word.
The only awesome thing about this advertising campaign is that it deepens the generational divide that already separates ipod owners from neanderthals (I mean, people who don't own ipods). Chances are, if you own an ipod, you don't even notice that "Funnest" ain't a word.
ReplyDeleteBut oh how those rickety old McCain voters will notice!
Only because there's a clever little play with "ain't" will I let you get away with saying "not a word" Casey.
ReplyDeleteRidger: I wonder how many people who argue 'It's a NOUN!' would also have trouble with a line like Gosh. That was so fun!
Well maybe with gosh.