Spelling.....
Perhaps I'm being unreasonable and old fashioned about this, but I feel that the writing level has dropped significantly in the past 10 years.Some might think that it’s the teenagers (iPeople) that are guilty of this but more and more I’ve noticed that adults make the same mistakes.
I understand that when communicating informally via text or e-mails the rules tend to bend or get lost all together.See you later becomes CU L8R, great becomes gr8, etc.However one of my biggest pet peeves is improper use of common words.
·too and to
·there, their, and they’re
·your and you’re
·it’s and its
·effect and affect
·weather and whether
·then and than
·lose and loose
When you create a website, a blog, or a post the spelling and grammar should be at least 99% accurate. Of course mistakes happen, but we should at least try.Lead by examples.No more “wanna”, “bbl’s”, “thanx”.
United States continues to underperform in reading, math, and science, ranking far below or close to average among developed countries.How sad?!
In an age when other countries are pushing their young people to learn the rules, to be competitive, to achieve, we tend to bend or eliminate rules just so that we can be “PC” and accommodate the weaker students.Everyone gets a trophy just for showing up, everyone is special.This attitude does nothing but create adults who can’t handle reality.You can’t expect to skate through college on C’s and become a CEO of Apple.Yes, there are exceptions, but they’re way to few and far between.
Also, how can we expect immigrants to learn a language that we are not willing to learn and use properly ourselves?We lose credibility and become hypocrites.
Having said all that, I found few resources available at no cost to anyone who is willing to spend some time learning.
Grammar, spelling, and plagiarism check:www.paperrater.com
Free college courses: www.coursera.org
All of these websites have great resources and I'm sure there are more but these are some of the better known websites.
Thank you.
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Having taught academic writing to university students I can understand your frustration, but I tend to look at the internet and social media as a place of freedom and expression. With that in mind, communicating with the audience is highly important.
If the blog is written to create a chatty ambience, the grammar would obviously make way for how someone might speak the language. Also, many bloggers are writing in their second or third language and although communicating very well, making a few grammar and spelling errors.
Unfortunately, I've yet to visit the USA, but I get the impression the country is rich in many languages, some official and some unofficial. Which may result in some having difficulty with 'standard English' if most of their lives was spent in a manual profession before trying their hand at blogging.
I'd like to think WA has a relaxed atmosphere where people can communicate without fear of losing their confidence from criticism of the technical aspect of their language. It's a different matter if they want a peer to review their work to correct the grammar, but most just want to be understood.
Thank you for the links, especially for plagiarism, which is extremely important. They'll benefit those who wish to learn 'standard English', but there are about 33 different English languages, which 'standard' are we referring to?
Love and light to everyone.
Kevin,
It shouldn't really matter how many different languages are spoken in any given country. When a child goes to school they're all taught one standard English language. Be it in England, United States or any other country that predominately uses a version of English. They're all taught the linguistic rules of that particular country.
I feel very proud of people that try and communicate in a language that is not their native language. Yes, some try harder than others and some do learn the rules and try to follow them, some do not, but again, we all essentially learn the same rules. Follow those rules. I'm happy when someone who does not use English on daily basis asks me for suggestions, or for me to proofread their correspondence or posts. They're trying.
I've spent a month without knowing any English in high school, just at the tail end of my sophomore year. Talk about being the odd one out at a time when all the clicks and social hierarchies have already been established. I muddled through it for about 3 months and caught up on 10 years of English in 2 years. Sure I wanted to cut corners and take the easy way out staying in the ESL class until graduation day.
Every single day I felt that I shouldn't put in the extra effort and I should just use that as an excuse not to be able to do my homework, or to avoid learning how to spell properly. However, I'm a writer at heart, language is my tool and I put all my effort into learning how to use that tool properly, so that I can express myself in a way that is easy for others to understand. I think that's freedom of expression. Ability to communicate in a way that is easily understood by your audience that is as freeing as education itself. It is possibly the only thing in this world that you have almost complete control over and the only thing that can not be taken away from you.
One of my all time favorite quotes is "Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity." --Aristotle.
I completely agree with that however I never treat education as an ornament, it always is a refuge to me. I am what my friends call me a perpetual student. I enjoy school, learning, taking tests, which I know goes against everything people believe in when it comes to education.
I always find typing tests, grammar test, spelling tests, all in an attempt to improve. There is always room for improvement, there is always room to grow. I chose to do that, to make as many neural connections as possible. Go NEURONS! Go!
Sorry for this long winded post.
Have a great day!
I enjoyed reading your post and have gained a greater insight into your thinking Kim. Having grown up in a country where some use the standard language as a form of status over those that speak another version, I tend to lean towards positive and comfortable environments that promote confidence. It's great to help those that ask and create posts containing language resources. However, it would be nice to keep things positive and not negative about our environment and our fellow countrymen and women. The 'problems of society' have always been in many minds for many centuries, but it only harms those that allow this negativity to get inside them.
We have a great positive environment here at WA. With a bit of luck it'll spread to most of humankind.
Have a great day Kim!
Love and light
Kevin,
If you're speaking of England I have a question. Is your comment based on the actual difference in how words are used or dialect?
If it's the dialect it is the same situation here. People from Southern states have a different dialect or an accent and that tends to make Northerners immediately deduct IQ points.
It is the same for people that speak with an accent in general IQ points are deducted.
Besides, people are ignorant, sheltered, and easily influenced by media. I never worry about that, that's their problem and they are the ones that have to live with it.
Love your positive attitude :)
Hello Kim!
I can remember the different, rich dialects in various parts of England, the Geordie dialect being one of my favourites. With all the advances in communication and England being a small country, the old dialects have mostly disappeared. There are still many accents and regional variations in grammar, but even that is changing.
'Estuary English' (language originating around the Thames estuary) has spread to some extent to other areas, with researchers reporting usage even in Liverpool. However, there seems to be a new dialect growing amongst the younger people.
England is a rich melting pot of immigrants of many cultures. I have French and Irish ancestry. Immigrants traditionally settled around the port of their entry into England, but with the coming of air travel, immigrants are now dispersed throughout England. Many young people are starting to speak this new dialect that I had a problem understanding on my last few visits to England. Various academics and linguists have discovered a diverse variety of lexis. Some words have their origins in the Caribbean and other former colonies, but others have been traced to languages such as Turkish and Vietnamese. The grammar structure is another story!
It's getting a bit better in England with respect to those not speaking 'standard English' and having IQ points deducted, but there are still many with an accent complex.
Although I speak 'standard English', I sometimes wish I had a rich accent. However, the consolation is that I speak German with a pronounced English accent which gives me a sense of place and my German friends seem to love it.
Have a successful day Kim!
I am afraid this is from a time gone by, spelling and grammar are no longer trendy.
With the advent of smart phones, text messaging and Instant Messaging, grammatically correct English has been resigned to the dustbin.
I agree with you though, but I doubt we will see any improvement, education now has become a sausage factory with grades at the end.
Push them through, teach them to pass the exam by regurgitating information, then give them grades
No thinking involved
Barry
How sad?! I mean, all you hear on TV is "be an individual" and then they follow-up with "wear what everyone else is wearing", or "do what everyone else is doing".
English is not my native language, I continue to learn every day. Yet, I find that I'm always the "go-to" person for my colleagues and friends for spelling and grammar answers.
You are correct Barry. There is no independent thought, social skills are gone, and worst thing is that there is this grand illusion that social media makes people "social". I think all it's done is created a herd of cyber bullies that would have no power in real life. These uneducated, socially inadequate worker bees.
Technical jobs and projects that require skills and independent thought will never comeback to this country, there aren't enough educated people to get them done. Companies will continue to move overseas for skilled workers.
It all begins with basic skills: reading and writing. Now some schools want to remove handwriting from their curriculum completely. That should create a nation of eager voters that won't be able to read or write.
These are questions many people ask Kim, but all we can do is passively influent those around us. Make sure our families grow with the 'old fashioned' values.
I suspected English wasn't your first language. Why? It's too good!
Success!
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I agree with both of your points of view. However, being a person that english is not his mother tongue I strongley believe that if you're going to use any language you should speak it and write properly.
Agree and especially if you live in a country where English is the official language.
Yes, second language speakers tend to want to use a language perfectly without the habits and fossilisation of first language users.
Pardon me Kevin, this sounds like a generalization if I ever heard one.
Hello Pinpoint! Yes, it's a vague generalisation, hence the use of a hedge. However, there are many papers written on second language acquisition and the fossilisation of first language which can be debated. I generalised on what I've experienced working with first and second language English experts.