Yeah, I know what you, uh, mean.

Still, I think the larger chunk of language is idiomatic in nature to start with. Words do have roots and histories and relations, but at bottom they mean what we agree they mean. "Cat" doesn't have intrinsic cosmic meaning; we just all agree that when we say those sounds, we mean one of those furry things.

Should of...I'm with you, really, but I'm reluctant to pick on it when "should" and "of" are both matters of agreement to start with.

Agreed, Denny Koll.

Some say we're being too picky, but consider that the time it takes to correct your wording is about the same as the time it takes for me to decipher, correct, and re-interpret what you wrote. Multiply that by the number of readers, and you can see that more time is spent in the aggregate if the writing is left in a bad state. The it becomes clear that the burden should be the author's, not the readers'.

Left out an "n." :)

I think the burden does need to shift toward the readers in some cases, and group social interaction is one of those. I'm perfectly happy to see an expert spell poorly when explaining things on a message board. If it's a book, I want my money back and you're getting an incensed review on Amazon.

It's not clear whether you're making any, or all, of these claims:

1. Shorthand is lazy.
2. Established usages of language that are primarily used by young people and only in certain communications media (IM/e-mail/etc) are inferior.
3. To refer to ways of using language that primarily found among young people using electronic communications devices as "established" is inaccurate.
4. People who use language informally do not know that it is informal.
5. People who use language informally do not know how to use language formally.

If you are claiming any of those things to be true, are you willing to share your reasoning?

but on the flipside of that, one could argue that apps like MS Word/Outlook's "auto-correct" features are in fact dumming (take that, spelling-nannies!) us down... especially b/c sometimes it fixes it so fast you have no idea you typed incorrectly!

one could link the fall of humanity with the fall of language (and the upsurge of TV, computers), but i ain't buyin' that one. we're doomed either way, with or without machines!

----

here's one for you all: is it spelled "ya'll" or "y'all"?

only one of them is correct, even though the other is used waay more often. (i used to live in bama so i know)

Also because it's so often wrong.

The lack of capital letters in messages on the board may have had much to do with the fall of humanity. :rolleyes:

Aaaah, osculate my fundament.

Sorry, but y'all are gonna have to take my folksy 'merkin misspellings, grammar and usage foopahs from my cold, dead hands.
I type like I talk...or how I want you to think I'm talking. :p

I think we should start using double space separated apostrophes for ' 'air quotes' '.

I think we need cute little animated hands doing the quote sign...which can also double as bunny shadow puppets.

+1

Someone assign an Administrator to this one.




While I enjoy threads like this, I have to admit that I find it distracting when people correct someone's grammar or spelling in the midst of "normal" threads instead of just addressing the topic.

I have sent a PM or two to a new user to let them know that I found their "IM speak" a little out of character with the forum, but in what I hope was a kind way...

I've read a few posts where hand gestures would have been appropriate.

My big pet peeve is watching a one eyed midget ride his mountain bike with whoafully underinflated knobby tires and too low of a saddle down the wrong side of the road, at night with all black clothes on and no lights, reflectors or blinkies, listening to the Dixie Chicks through headphones and texting on his Iphone while running through a red light and littering on his way to the voting polls.....and then has the nerve to call it commuting.

Whoa....that just pisses me right off!

I know, I hate when that happens.

Says the cover girl beauty. If everyone was blessed with your good looks, we'd all be babbling like fools!

So that's the explanation...

I believe he made none of those assertions. Read his post carefully.

And speaking of comma splices...

"I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun."

Fifty years today:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...reets-wer.html

A few years ago I saw this written on a Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapper: "NEW! ORIGINAL FLAVOR" I actually saved it.