Re: Written English

I totally agree with you on this, Ania. I detest text speak with a vengeance which is fine for a mobile phone, but not for polite communication.

Having spent the last 48 years as a secretary, it would be unheard of to send letters without using correct English, as it would reflect on the company as to whether or not its employees are up to standard, or they're just a messy organisation and, quite honestly, if I hadn't had a good use of my own language I wouldn't have stayed in my chosen line of work for so long.

The recent use of the word "of" instead of "have" is another bug-bear of mine, and the mis-use of apostrophes, but these can be a bit complicated unless the use of them is understood.

No, it's sloppy to mis-use our language and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I very much doubt Germans, French or any other foreign speaking person from other parts of the world would mis-use their own language. I'm happy to stand corrected however, if this is not the case.

I can't imagine Shakespeare ever writing 2 b r not 2 b that is the Q.

Bad spelling or dyslexia of course can be excused, but not an abomination of our language, but using abbreviations like IMO and MIL is also just laziness. It's so easy to type "in my opinion" or "mother in law." Some of the abbreviations I don't understand so I move on to something else.

Jem makes a good point about language change, but that's usually throughout centuries and by natural progression. Let's face it, when you think about it, there is no such thing as the English language, as it developed from a long list of other languages including French, Germanic, Latin, Celt, Welsh, Irish, Pits and many others, so really there is no native English language, and Jem's 1000 year old text sort of bears this out. Even the word jodhpurs comes from North West India.

As poor old George Bush once said "there is no word in French for entrepeneur!"

Re: Written English

Some - have mentioned 'text' speak - which is 'not' what Ania was referring to but the way some of us write our posts .....
'Lighten up' is an apt expression ....
No I dont agree with you Ania - I find your thread insulting and unnecessary ... I like colour in expression of the written word, otherwise its dull dull dull if we were all the same,and Oh so serious ...
We are all different from different parts of the world, I call it being natural ....no false personas

Re: Written English

So was I, Alan, and am very grateful that I was at school in the days when spelling and grammar mattered. However, it can have it's drawbacks. A while ago I had a childrens book rejected by a publisher because 'the grammar and syntax are too perfect. A modern child would struggle to follow this story' !

They cited an example - in the story Rainbow (a dragon) gives the response "I don't know." I should have written 'Dunno' !

I will not dumb down my language skills to please those who are too lazy to learn how to speak correctly - so the book remains unpublished.

Re: Written English

I have no problem with anyone or any group using a particular dialect/patois to communicate amongst themselves, but the whole point of language is to enable people to communicate amongst themselves, which is why the maintenance of our national language is so important. Irrespective of social background, ethnicity, culture or geographical origin, people in the UK should be able to read, write and understand our national language. Failure to maintain "English" will lead to an increasing divide between classes, groups and ethnicities. Already too many of our young people in London are pretty much incapable of stringing two sentences together in English, speaking only "Jafaican" (or Multi-cultural London English as the sociologists prefer). Maybe I could get a job as a translator - after all, as an ex-youth worker I'm "safe" and "Dis my yard. It's, laahhhk, nang, innit Blud?

Re: Written English

You have a point but with unemployment as it is the youth have no need to communicate with anyone but their own friends. If they had jobs to go to they would soon change how they talk so they could get on.

Re: Written English

I have a friend who is dyslexic and practically illiterate, he also drinks too much. He posts on Facebook a fair bit and it does take quite an effort to understand his utterings at times but in them are some pretty good observations and thoughts. I don't care what people put down to be honest. It is what the words contain is the stuff I am interested in.

Re: Written English

Hi Mark, I am in agreement with you. It's the message that's important not the words, but you have to be able to understand the message and sometimes that can be difficult when they are not using the language correctly.

Re: Written English

That was my point exactly.

Re: Written English

Sloppy Text = sloppy nation, end of, imo.

Re: Written English

Good for you - you should never change your natural way, just to suit others ......