Young Writers Society

Isn't sad that no one can spell or use proper grammar anymore? I don't know about you, but it drives me insane. Don't get me wrong, I make mistakes in spelling/grammar. I'm not a walking dictionary or anything like that. But still, some things are just inexcusable.
For example:

Grown man: "There were many moments of uncomfortableness..."
Another grown man: "I'm not very well at leading this song..."
Friend (teen): "Your strange..."
Flyer at apartment complex: "You're help is greatly needed..."

AAAUGH! What can we do to end this?

inkdragon wrote:Friend (teen): "Your strange..."
Flyer at apartment complex: "You're help is greatly needed..."

Hello!
These two statements are common errors that I have seen. Even my brother users them wrong, but that can't be helped. Who's (not Whose) to blame? I blame our English teachers, because they spend less and less time on this each year.

I wouldn't say that the English language is dying, Grammar is dying. But not really, we're just full of (America, mind you all, is what I am speaking of) lazy illiterates. The majority, at the least is. and for the "your" and "you're" those would have to be spelling (or, written) errors, because spoken there is no difference.

If English was dying, there would be a lack of it being spoke or written. Latin is Dead; English is not.

I remember reading in the paper a while ago about how an exam board were accepting 'text speech' as an answer in shakesphere papers... 2 b r nt 2 b... *shudders*

Urgh, that's horrible and shouldn't be allowed.

I don't think English is dying, I just think more and more people are getting lazy and ignorant.

I agree with Claudette. Latin is dead; English is not. We are just lazier about our spelling.

-Jack

It's just evolving. Soon through will become thru!

The English language doesn't die.

It simply changes.

Just like now, two hundred years ago people would shudder at what we speak like today. Just like if we heard people in the future, we would think they had killed the english language. Language develops and evolves all the time, and maybe because we're so used to this and love it so much we want to keep it the same, but it doesn't work like that. Everything changes.

On that note though, most people are just lazy. And some changes are avoidable. LIke spell-checking flyers. Also, most of your examples were spoken, and people can say pretty much what they like in my opinion. As long as I understand what it is they're getting at.

I'm on board here with Jack and Clau.

Languages, like ideas, don't die--they morph and adapt to their surroundings. I hardly think English is deteriorating just because people type things like "i luv u"--the idea is still there, the "sound" is still there. All that is really changing is the spelling. The alpha-numerical systems are blending 2 produce a modernized, virtual language, and I don't think anything is wrong with that.

Do I find it incredibly annoying? Yes. Does it usually lower my assessment of a person? Yes. Do they have a right to do it anyway? Yes.

Surely to those who come from a world of completely spelled words, an alphanumerical language is aesthetically unpleasing--things jut up and down over lines, break the flow of reading, and so on.

Repetition: languages don't die. People do.

brad is G here. whad'up?

Repetition: languages don't die. People do.

So are you saying the 'i luv u' folks out there are going to die?

I'm glad your on my side of this. But if we're getting into 'chat speak' that is all read and not spoken language. It's annoying, sure, but it is supposed to be 'easier' (Although for me I have to make an effort to type like that.)

I don't think (and I hope not, or I'll have to burn myself alive) that there will ever come a time when books are printed in 'chat speak' could you imagine reading any classic like this? Of course, this is also assuming that books like TTYL are NOT literature....pop-fiction, more like it. Which I don't hold in high regard anyway. But if I ever saw them printing classic literature (or literature of any kind) in 'chat speak' yes, I will burn me (and the books) ASAP.

Claudette wrote:So are you saying the 'i luv u' folks out there are going to die?

I'm glad your on my side of this. But if we're getting into 'chat speak' that is all read and not spoken language. It's annoying, sure, but it is supposed to be 'easier' (Although for me I have to make an effort to type like that.)

True, it isn't spoken, because one can't pronounce "U" and "you" differently. But, it gets ridiculous when greeting cards and candy hearts say, "I ♥ U". How hard is it to print, "I love you"?

Clau -

re: "So are you saying the 'i luv u' folks out there are going to die?"

The opposite, really. There are so many people today indoctrinated into the culture of chat-speak that, given enough time, the people who hark to the days of written language will die out.

At least at the current rate of exchange.


Best,
Brad

the people who hark to the days of written language will die out.

Should I prepare my matches and lighter fluid, or if I'm lucky this will happen long, long after I am a rotting corpse? When this time comes, it will be very depressing.

But it is disgustingly true.

Incandescence wrote:I'm on board here with Jack and Clau.

Languages, like ideas, don't die--they morph and adapt to their surroundings. I hardly think English is deteriorating just because people type things like "i luv u"--the idea is still there, the "sound" is still there. All that is really changing is the spelling. The alpha-numerical systems are blending 2 produce a modernized, virtual language, and I don't think anything is wrong with that.

Do I find it incredibly annoying? Yes. Does it usually lower my assessment of a person? Yes. Do they have a right to do it anyway? Yes.

Surely to those who come from a world of completely spelled words, an alphanumerical language is aesthetically unpleasing--things jut up and down over lines, break the flow of reading, and so on.

Repetition: languages don't die. People do.

Too true. Maybe I should have said that the English language as we know it is slowly dying.

Just to be perfectly honest, I do use chatspeak in email and instant messenging. But that's where it belongs! If you're going to write something that "the real world", use actual words.

Maybe I should boycott chatspeak altogether for a while. Yeah...a protest!
Who wants to protest with me?