discuss about

[optimistic pessimist]

Deal all,

Let's discuss about the issue sometime next week.

I know about is not necessary in the sentence above. However, it this totally wrong? All the dictionaries I checked say "discuss the issue" is correct. However, I have heard a native speaker of English say "discuss about". Do you think a native English speaker could use "discuss about" ? Or was it just a slip of the tongue?

Thank you!

OP

 

[konungursvia]

No it's wrong. Not everyone speaks properly all the time. Maybe they said disgusted about?

 

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,
The following passage is from the Wall Street Journal. A Japan's online rertailer called Rakuten decided that all the employees use English for communication among themselves. Mr. Mikitani is the CEO of the company.

..."Let's stop discussing about our policy to convert our main language to Eng. We are going to do this to become strong global company," Mr. Mikitani tweeted after his Twitter account was flooded for days with discussion of the company's language policy.
Someone replied in Japanese: "For your reference, one doesn't usually put 'about' after 'discuss.'"
Mr. Mikitani immediately wrote back: "Let's stop being picky."
He revisited the issue four days later, writing: "Well I think many native people use 'discuss about.' At least my friends at Harvard did. How good is your English??..."


I happened to see this article yesterday. I posted the question because I thought "discuss about" might be accepted in casual spoken English even if it's wrong. It seems to me Mr. Mikitani is lying or exaggerating the fact that there was a Harvard guy who said "discuss about" probably by mistake. Do you believe Mr. Mikitani?

Thanks!

OP

 

[2006]

Dear all,
The following passage is from the Wall Street Journal. A Japan[STRIKE]'s[/STRIKE] online rertailer called Rakuten decided that all the employees must use English for communication among themselves. Mr. Mikitani is the CEO of the company.

..."Let's stop discussing about our policy to convert our main language to Eng. We are going to do this to become strong global company," Mr. Mikitani tweeted after his Twitter account was flooded for days with discussion of the company's language policy.
Someone replied in Japanese: "For your reference, one doesn't usually put 'about' after 'discuss.'"
Mr. Mikitani immediately wrote back: "Let's stop being picky."
He revisited the issue four days later, writing: "Well I think many native people use 'discuss about.' At least my friends at Harvard did. How good is your English??..."
I happened to see this article yesterday. I posted the question because I thought "discuss about" might be accepted in casual spoken English even if it's wrong. Of course it can be understood. How well it is accepted depends on how strict one wants to be. I agree that it's wrong, and I wouldn't accept it in an exam or at a place where a high level of English is required.
'talk about' is correct, but "discuss about" is not. 'talk' and 'discuss' have different meanings.

It seems to me Mr. Mikitani is lying or exaggerating the fact that there was a Harvard guy who said "discuss about" probably by mistake. Do you believe Mr. Mikitani? I cannot say that I don't believe him. One can hear less-than-perfect English anywhere.

Thanks!

OP

2006

 

[Tullia]

One can certainly "have a discussion about" and you hear that all the time.
I think it's likely a non-native speaker could hear that and assume you could apply that format to the verb "to discuss".

I think "to discuss about" is pretty unusual though. I've just mentally composed a few examples and they all sound wrong to me. That doesn't mean people won't use it though!

What I do think you might hear is something like "We were just discussing all about last night" where the speaker is trying to be emphatic and express the fact that the discussion is in great detail. It's still grammatically ugly, if not downright incorrect, but I think we do hear it and it doesn't jar to my ear quite as much as it would without the all.