Heard from a reporter during Hawaii volcano coverage:
“We moved our people when the sulphur dioxide smell became palatable.”
Yum! Yum!
Two more lost words: palatable and palpable.
So many of these reporters throw out words they don’t even know, but imagine they know.
Can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard them eck-cetera, showing off their ‘erudition”. Nothing like broadcasting one’s ignorance.
No question, the language is in peril because of uneducated caucasian speakers in the media. Imagine the number of viewers who will adopt the above error in their own language use. (“I heard it on CNN so it must be right!”)