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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 8:49:57 GMT 10
Being on Facebook with a variety of people of all ages, I can't help but wonder what has happened to literacy.
A minor spelling mistake or typo, I can handle but when people (usually younger) write His instead of He's, I tend to think the education department is failing our children. This isn't something I see now and then but daily and by many. "Yous" is also used a lot.
I do wonder if texting is a part of this obvious decline in the ability to spell and use words, even the most simple, in their correct context. I even saw someone spell Weigh as Way. This person was asked why he spelt weigh this way and he said he thought it was how it was spelt.
We all see people using Your and You're incorrectly as well as There, They're and Their.....even To, Too and Two.
So why do you think this is happening and do you think it matters?
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Post by slartibartfast on Mar 9, 2013 9:01:21 GMT 10
I think it matters. It shows how poor education is and that some people just don't care.
You forgot the plural interpretation of "pizza's" instead of "pizzas".
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Post by garfield on Mar 9, 2013 9:03:44 GMT 10
A teacher told me once that teaching spelling is no longer important as computers have spell check.
I guess its the same argument some had when personal calculators came out.
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 9:11:01 GMT 10
Problem is Garfield.....most don't bother to use spell check. I rarely do and it's why I sometimes have typos.
I even see people writing cum (and they're not referring to an orgasm) instead of come, wot instead of what.....the list goes on.
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Post by sonex on Mar 9, 2013 9:13:51 GMT 10
Yes it matters. When these kids are presenting their resumes to a prospective employer, spelling, grammar and punctuation are fairly important, especially in a white collar job.
I do think "yous" could become part of our language though, it would often be useful to have a plural of "you". I think I prefer "yous" to "you-all"
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 9:18:38 GMT 10
Yous reminds me of the boxer Jeff Fenech when he said " I love yous all" ugh....makes me cringe. I won't allow "yous" to be used in my home.  |
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Post by sonex on Mar 9, 2013 9:32:07 GMT 10
Yous reminds me of the boxer Jeff Fenech when he said " I love yous all" ugh....makes me cringe. I won't allow "yous" to be used in my home. Yes, I realize it has a somewhat illiterate connotation Jody, but it is very similar to the French "vous" and would be a useful addition to our language, or if not "yous", then we should invent a new word to fill the gap. |
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 9:33:26 GMT 10
definitely not Y'all. :0
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 9:43:03 GMT 10
good idea !
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Post by sonex on Mar 9, 2013 9:47:26 GMT 10
Words like "sheep" and "fish" stand well enough as singular and plural. Why can't "you" be treated in the same way? I think it must be because we identify whether there is one sheep or many sheep, or fish. We would say "there are sheep in that paddock", or "there is a sheep in that paddock". Dunno really, I've read your post several times Earl, and I do believe it can be shot down, but probably not by me.  |
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 9:53:12 GMT 10
Well when you think about it....a speaker will refer to the entire room of people as "you"....as the speaker is speaking to the entire room as individuals.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2013 13:56:24 GMT 10
I think autocorrect on smartphones is a big part of the problem...even inserting apostrophes automatically.
I certainly don't want a return to the days of being drilled on past participles, split infinitives and such but a command of English which does not convey the impression of ignorance is essential.
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Post by geopol on Mar 9, 2013 14:45:19 GMT 10
Split infinitives are excresences that stultify clear expression....
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Post by caskur on Mar 9, 2013 19:24:01 GMT 10
The New York Times articles go through over half a dozen proof readers before an article is published apparently, which means even the most honed journalist make mistakes that have to be checked...double checked and quadruple checked.
I notice when I write when I'm very tired, I'll write "is" instead of "are" habitually and I also leave of "n't" off words like "could" and "would" which can change the whole meaning of a sentence... or I'll write sort instead of sought...
this is how much I care about that....
on a scale of between 0 - 10... 0 being the least I care.... 10 being the most I care.
1.
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Post by slartibartfast on Mar 9, 2013 22:14:19 GMT 10
Jody, Jody, Jody: Female opera singers (soprano's) do not sound good singing normal songs.... The plural of soprano is sopranos, not soprano's. |
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Post by slartibartfast on Mar 9, 2013 22:16:37 GMT 10
What sort of dill keeps living on a flood plane...? Spot the error! ;D |
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 22:26:19 GMT 10
I never said I was perfect
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Post by jody on Mar 9, 2013 22:26:21 GMT 10
I never said I was perfect
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Post by caskur on Mar 9, 2013 22:46:47 GMT 10
What sort of dill keeps living on a flood plane...? Spot the error! ;D plain? |
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Post by fat on Mar 9, 2013 22:55:27 GMT 10
Could be a water bomber. |
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