I am myself to me, not to others....

[ardcarp]

We had a letter from a teacher at my grandchild's school:

There will be an opportunity to meet with myself and other staff......

OK this is going to turn into pedants' corner, but why have people (some of whom ought to know better) started referring to themselves as myself when talking to others? Do they think it makes them sound grander?

[Serial_Apologist]

We had a letter from a teacher at my grandchild's school:

There will be an opportunity to meet with myself and other staff......

OK this is going to turn into pedants' corner, but why have people (some of whom ought to know better) started referring to themselves as myself when talking to others? Do they think it makes them sound grander?

S/he sounds like a splitter to me, ardcarp...

[Don Petter]

We had a letter from a teacher at my grandchild's school:

There will be an opportunity to meet with myself and other staff......

OK this is going to turn into pedants' corner, but why have people (some of whom ought to know better) started referring to themselves as myself when talking to others? Do they think it makes them sound grander?

I would go along and watch him meeting with himself - It might be entertaining, though maybe not suitable for children ...

[Serial_Apologist]

"Me, myself and I": where does that phrase come from?

[subcontrabass]

"Me, myself and I": where does that phrase come from?

The earliest source seems to be a song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me,_Mys...281937_song%29

[Serial_Apologist]

The earliest source seems to be a song: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me,_Mys...281937_song%29

That's the one - many thanks SCB.

[Padraig]

We had a letter from a teacher at my grandchild's school:

There will be an opportunity to meet with myself and other staff......

OK this is going to turn into pedants' corner, but why have people (some of whom ought to know better) started referring to themselves as myself when talking to others? Do they think it makes them sound grander?

I don't see the problem myself ardcarp.
I would guess it is the form teacher who is writing and is referring to himself as the main consultant and to other teachers who know the pupil.
Maybe he's Irish, which of course does make him grander.

[teamsaint]

That's the one - many thanks SCB.

not to be confused with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Me_Mine

[mangerton]

I don't see the problem myself ardcarp.
I would guess it is the form teacher who is writing and is referring to himself as the main consultant and to other teachers who know the pupil.
Maybe he's Irish, which of course does make him grander.

Sorry, Padraig. In ardcarp's context, "myself" is just wrong. It's another error which is becoming increasingly common.

At work today, I read a powerpoint presentation, issued for training purposes, which contained so many egregious errors that I lost count. They included apostrophes wrongly omitted or inserted, "less" used where it should have been "fewer", and superlative where it should have been comparative. All the correct-English-upholders here will no doubt be nodding, and saying that these are all increasingly common errors. Others will ask whether it really matters. I think it does. The powerpoint was issued for training, and I found myself (sic!) asking, "If the writer cannot get basic English correct, how much faith can I place in his or her training guidance?"

[mangerton]

"Me, myself and I": where does that phrase come from?

From a telephone conversation in a Laurel and Hardy film, and of course it's all in the delivery:

Hardy: "Where are you!?"

Laurel (usual glaikit expression): "I'm here, with me."

[french frank]

I seem to have read somewhere that the general habit of using 'myself' arose first from uncertainty as to when 'I' or 'me' was correct, e.g. 'Between you and I'. The idea grew up that 'myself' was safe and would always be correct.

I would agree that 'You will be able to meet with myself' is/was 'incorrect' (grammatically and logically): 'I' am the only person who can meet with 'myself'.

[decantor]

We had a letter from a teacher at my grandchild's school:

There will be an opportunity to meet with myself and other staff......

OK this is going to turn into pedants' corner, but why have people (some of whom ought to know better) started referring to themselves as myself when talking to others? Do they think it makes them sound grander?

I have a theory that the modern, inappropriate use of myself originates in the ever-present confusion about how to couple the First Person pronoun to another party: namely, the distinction between my wife and I and my wife and me. Even reputable writers are occasionally guilty of solecisms such as: an invitation arrived for my friend and I to attend.

The teacher in the case above possibly felt that the polite form was to meet other staff and I. Realising that was wrong, and thinking that both other staff and me and me and other staff sounded awkward, s/he resorted to the monstrosity as quoted.

Myself is a get-out-of-gaol card for the grammatically insecure. Well, that's my theory anyway.

[Ed: Sorry. Cross-posted with ff.]

[Don Petter]

Sorry, Padraig. In ardcarp's context, "myself" is just wrong. It's another error which is becoming increasingly common.

At work today, I read a powerpoint presentation, issued for training purposes, which contained so many egregious errors that I lost count. They included apostrophes wrongly omitted or inserted, "less" used where it should have been "fewer", and superlative where it should have been comparative. All the correct-English-upholders here will no doubt be nodding, and saying that these are all increasingly common errors. Others will ask whether it really matters. I think it does. The powerpoint was issued for training, and I found myself (sic!) asking, "If the writer cannot get basic English correct, how much faith can I place in his or her training guidance?"

I wholeheartedly agree!

Only today I received an email from Nectar, starting in the all-too-common way:

'Dear Mr Petter,

As an active Nectar collector we thought we would take a moment ...'


How can such elementary mistakes escape the notice of those writing or reviewing such missives? (In the past, I've had a similarly phrased letter from my bank. )

[Padraig]

I don't believe that 'myself' is due to the 'I' 'Me' uncertainty; it is, rather, a common usage in Hiberno-English. It comes from the Irish. Mise, tusa, seise etc Myself, yourself, himself etc.
Therefore, if an 'error' it is not in the same class as the grammatical errors referred to by mangerton, decantor and Don Petter. Whilst I am not always right, I would not say that I am grammatically insecure.

[Ariosto]

This is all pretentious rubbish.