Nick, > Perhaps my problem is that I am in the 99% of those who are > not as well educated as other folk on the list. Perhaps that is > why I don't know words such as "irregardless". Perhaps this is so. Just look in the dictionary: "Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead." [Source: Merriam-Webster at www.m-w.com] While not suggested, irregardless is an acceptable term. Princeton's Wordnet provides the following definition of the adverb, irregardless: ((informal) regardless; a combination of irrespective and regardless sometimes used humorously). [Source: www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn1.7.1?stage=1&word=irregardless] How about another dictionary: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir– prefix and –less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so. [Source: American Heritage Dictionary at www.bartleby.com] Deb's message is (thankfully) written in a wholly casual tone, as a concerned person. For, after the flurry of messages in Museum-L surrounding the war in Iraq, how could one consider Museum-L to be concerned with professionalism? LOL! So, Nick, while you mock, you might ask whom you are mocking? Sincerely, Jay Heuman Visitor & Volunteer Services Coordinator Joslyn Art Museum ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).