tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post477939658246516833..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: on accidentlynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34989116981126590012020-03-11T21:56:05.700+00:002020-03-11T21:56:05.700+00:00As an American, every time I hear "on acciden...As an American, every time I hear "on accident", I quietly wish harm on the person who said it instead of "by accident". After this I feel slightly guilty.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00110580456278445005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67969343255968184752011-10-07T16:13:34.712+01:002011-10-07T16:13:34.712+01:00Once I started hearing Snooki say "on acciden...Once I started hearing Snooki say "on accident", I said...only idiots must be using this term.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-81213661239499039742010-08-19T03:25:52.691+01:002010-08-19T03:25:52.691+01:00Apparently, it's been a while since this conve...Apparently, it's been a while since this conversation took place, but as I just surfed in, I'll add my two cents. I grew up in NJ and everyone I knew said "by accident." I lived in FL and NM for years and also only heard "by accident." We moved to the midwest, Ohio in particular, and now my children all say "on accident." It drives me crazy!Glynmisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-62427851213909361222009-12-31T21:36:17.854+00:002009-12-31T21:36:17.854+00:00I take it back about the Google hits. Many of them...I take it back about the Google hits. Many of them are "head on accident" and others are using "on" to mean "about". But there are still a number of usages that fit this discussion- one person says he deleted some email "on accident", etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10020135862266563282009-12-31T21:32:29.305+00:002009-12-31T21:32:29.305+00:00Someone did a research paper on "on accident&...Someone did a research paper on "on accident" and found that it was fairly common among under 35s in the U.S., and the preferred form for under 10s. I looked it up because my 9 year old granddaughter does it. Google shows 1,180,000 hits for "on accident"- some of those are discussions about it like this one, but it's still enough to say it's a variant, not just something kids grow out of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13040170541976902002009-11-27T15:14:12.225+00:002009-11-27T15:14:12.225+00:00I have heard the term "on accident" here...I have heard the term "on accident" here in the Midwest (Ohio) in recent years and it drives me mad. To me it sounds uneducated, childish. I also cringe at "lit it on fire", which I've also heard in recent years, as opposed to "set it on fire" or "set it afire".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-44003579620030355302009-08-05T10:55:42.102+01:002009-08-05T10:55:42.102+01:00@Ruby, I can't say I'll be posting about C...@Ruby, I can't say I'll be posting about CanE--not being a Canadian or in Canada--but Canadian discussions are always welcome in the comments!lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-79750376239873872112009-08-04T23:53:05.716+01:002009-08-04T23:53:05.716+01:00Congratulations on the honour, and thank you very ...Congratulations on the honour, and thank you very much for this blog! I ran across you "by accident" while searching for something about tea drinking, I believe.<br /><br />I will definitely be watching for more posts dealing with Canadian English - even better if you write about anglophones who spend a significant portion of their lives working/studying/socializing in French!<br /><br />Cheers from across the pond!<br />RubyRuby in Montrealhttp://www.canhomeschool.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-74739094323822875952009-08-04T16:26:41.042+01:002009-08-04T16:26:41.042+01:00@Dana, you'd expect Pegg and any other English...@Dana, you'd expect Pegg and any other Englishperson to say 'by accident'. It's only 'on accident' that is geographically restricted.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-30412895646091032182009-08-04T16:23:44.893+01:002009-08-04T16:23:44.893+01:00I'm American. My husband and I, late forties/...I'm American. My husband and I, late forties/early fifties, say "by accident", but my kids, now in their early twenties, say "on accident', especially my son, and have done so since we lived in the Midwest when they were school age. My niece and nephew, from Texas, say "on accident" as well. I think it may be age-related. The back-formation from "on purpose" seems very plausible. <br /><br />I was watching the British TV show "Spaced" last night, and Simon Pegg said "by accident". Isn't he from the southwest part of England? But that show was filmed back in 1999 -- ancient history, practically.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13685879787937904046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-59959410515092661702009-08-04T14:47:13.785+01:002009-08-04T14:47:13.785+01:00Dr. Tom, the German would be "zufällig" ...Dr. Tom, the German would be "zufällig" for coincidentally or "durch Unfall" for having an accident. The latter of these translates back into English as THROUGH accident, so I think it unlikely that "on accident" comes through that route, although the main word for "on" in German is used a lot more than the English equivalent, so it wouldn't be impossible that it originated as someone using the wrong preposition (something that all non native speakers of a language are prone to). However it seems to me that making a parallel with "on purpose" is far more likely.Cameronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34676529874085009872009-08-04T12:20:07.328+01:002009-08-04T12:20:07.328+01:00@Picky: Only if it's something that's not ...@Picky: Only if it's something that's not possible in the language--i.e. no one says it. Of course, you could say that something is ungrammatical in the standard variety of English--though that's fudging the issue a bit.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90618311602064050832009-08-04T12:03:34.359+01:002009-08-04T12:03:34.359+01:00Well now, Lynne - but you do say "ungrammatic...Well now, Lynne - but you do say "ungrammatical", don't you?Pickynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-7056264847987732912009-08-03T14:42:10.541+01:002009-08-03T14:42:10.541+01:00In Linguistics, we don't say 'bad grammar&...In Linguistics, we don't say 'bad grammar'. We say 'non-standard variety'! :)lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16104966860839761902009-08-03T14:40:50.892+01:002009-08-03T14:40:50.892+01:00Growing up in Massachusetts, you were reprimanded ...Growing up in Massachusetts, you were reprimanded for saying "on accident" it was considered bad grammar...so up until just now, I ALSO considered it simply bad grammar.billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-88299462575353290932009-08-03T02:13:57.083+01:002009-08-03T02:13:57.083+01:00Albany, NY - never heard "on accident". ...Albany, NY - never heard "on accident". But I HAVE heard "gobsmacked", and it especially shows up in print.<br />Congrats on the award1Roger Owen Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05298172138307632062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-5587387604030343082009-08-03T02:07:53.814+01:002009-08-03T02:07:53.814+01:00Never heard it, not anywhere in New England, NYS, ...Never heard it, not anywhere in New England, NYS, or even in the midwest or Florida. Judging by the posts here, of folks who have heard it or do use it, any chance it is a Germanism?Dr. Tom Rochenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67649932348461259612009-08-02T23:57:48.714+01:002009-08-02T23:57:48.714+01:00I was born in California in 1971 and lived there t...I was born in California in 1971 and lived there till 1984, when my family moved to New Jersey. Soon after we arrived, I used "on accident" and my new friend was shocked. It was immediately clear that "by accident" would have been better, and I thought I had just made a slip. I don't think I've ever used it since, and I don't think I've ever heard adults use it.<br /><br />All this to vote for the something-children-grow-out-of theory.Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-12089688812429548462009-08-02T00:43:45.640+01:002009-08-02T00:43:45.640+01:00The only time I've ever heard "on acciden...The only time I've ever heard "on accident" is from my 4yo, who uses it as the opposite of "on purpose"!Mrs Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05655632448285928588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-43925097252335542252009-08-01T17:45:44.996+01:002009-08-01T17:45:44.996+01:00My daughter-in-law (British) says 'by purpose&...My daughter-in-law (British) says 'by purpose' and we have teased her about it for ages. I will reassure her that there is a debate on a linguistics blog about it. This will be great news for her!Fran Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07935088780461825341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65942714067023253362009-08-01T15:01:11.805+01:002009-08-01T15:01:11.805+01:00*Not Douglas but Dougal. Sorry.*Not Douglas but Dougal. Sorry.Cameronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-54501222707625969462009-08-01T14:57:58.178+01:002009-08-01T14:57:58.178+01:00I'm pretty gobsmacked by this entire post! I a...I'm pretty gobsmacked by this entire post! I am absolutely certain I have NEVER come across "on accident" before and it sounds extremely strange, not to mention wrong, to me. I wonder what part of Scotland Douglas is from, as I am from Glasgow and, as I say, have never come across this usage. And, thinking about it, I've watched, of course, quite a lot of American movies and TV series, and don't remember ever hearing it there, either.Cameronnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-26118611864617419882009-08-01T02:56:21.375+01:002009-08-01T02:56:21.375+01:00It makes one wonder how "on purpose" eve...It makes one wonder how "on purpose" ever came into being. It should surely be "by purpose" or "with purpose" or some others by certainly not "on purpose. For some reason this discussion reminds me of a few other non-standard phrases such as "same difference", and also of the word "ain't". It would be interesting to know how and where those words are used differently in Britain and America (if they are).Andy JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15819413906544791899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42646279102526331952009-07-31T18:17:12.534+01:002009-07-31T18:17:12.534+01:00Congratulations on the win Lynne, though following...Congratulations on the win Lynne, though following the link to the other successful blogs has given me even <i>more</i> opportunities for displacement activity...Shaun Clarksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16290670832534929741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-68371809150675333352009-07-31T18:12:58.656+01:002009-07-31T18:12:58.656+01:00I grew up in Connecticut and never heard 'on a...I grew up in Connecticut and never heard 'on accident' until going to college in Pennsylvania.David Tresner-Kirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02533306834276422415noreply@blogger.com