Why Can't JUBers Learn To Speak?

[Ramindra]

I must admit that I have become a bit more tolerant of atrocious spelling, wicked grammar, typographical errors, bad punctuation (if punctuation is used at all) and the absence of capitals (everything in lower case.) A little more tolerant but not much.

What really does have me hitting the "Back" or "Next" button is when I see a thread of 100 lines of type, all in lower case with no capitals and NO paragraphs. I process (read) upwards of 50,000 written words a day in various forms. When I see these huge blocks of words in posts, my poor feeble brain says, "Does not compute. Does not compute."

 

[nwdavis]

I would like to formally apologize for any spelling errors or other incorrect usage of the English language. I hated english class and mostly got D's. I do the best I can and use http://webster.com/ a lot. But I think its important to remember that some members of JUB are using English as a second or even third language.

 

[gsdx]

But I think its important to remember that some members of JUB are using English as a second or even third language.

I said more-or-less the same thing a few posts above. This is a very important consideration, and it is one with which I have no problem dealing. (Very grammatical, doncha think?)

I think that, if someone takes all that time to struggle with unfamiliar words and phrases to make sense of their thoughts, the least I can do is to make an attempt to understand what it is they are trying to say.

If they're just being lazy, I can't be bothered. It's very easy to tell the difference.

 

[treanir]

"once upon a time, the're lived a peaceful prince in the kingdom of far far away 1 day he went on a mithical quest to rescue his fairy godfather and 4ever find the strapping lad he was meant 2 b with so he set 4th from his's carstle on his's trusty steed and sped away in2 the night"

'They' (don't you just love it that you can point to any group of people -even a group of one- with that word?) would never ever use 'trusty' or 'sped'. Or: you forgot the complete lack of vocabulary.

Anyway, as long as I can read it, it's fine by me. That said, the comment above was stretching it. I would usually skip that.

 

[dpnice]

y do u care so much if u can read it ok then does it matter? i think many guys who write badly can also write good but its just easier 2 write in shorthand. i cud read both the 2 paragraphs about the prince find n i hope he makes his way 2 my town soon!! LOL.

I agree that the importance is that we can read it and understand the meaning of the post. If people spell incorrectly then I correct automatically as I read. But what happened to respect for the people who are reading your written words and attempting to make your post as legible as possible in order to get over your opinion as clearly as possible.

But what I don't understand, this is probably a generation gap problem, why type the way you have when it is only marginally quicker than using the correct words. Plus you actually have to think about how you are writing as it can't be automatic to write u instead of you.

I am left feeling that it is a question of self image. I write in shorthand because I am a young, cool guy with a mobile phone that is in constant use.

 

[dpnice]

I would like to formally apologize for any spelling errors or other incorrect usage of the English language. I hated english (English) class and mostly got D's (Ds). I do the best I can and use http://webster.com/ a lot. But I think its important to remember that some members of JUB are using English as a second or even third language.

This sort of post requires no apology.

But then I couldn't resist doing the odd correction. Its the teacher in me coming out.

 

[gsdx]

This sort of post requires no apology.

But then I couldn't resist doing the odd correction. Its (it's) the teacher in me coming out.

Oops. Did I just do that?

 

[Swellegant]

I wonder what the total count of threads on this topic might be... it raises its ugly head at least once a month.

As many have said above, I have learned a bit of tolerance since I've been on this board, but still will skip over anything that is too difficult for me to read. However, I have noted the prevalence of what I call "IM-speak" here and in other written communications.

I was watching my niece IMing with her friend on my computer the other day; judging by the sounds she was making, she was typing at lightning speed. However, I got closer and discovered that two thirds of her keystrokes were the backspace key, and that what was left afterward was a lot of abbreviations and homophonic characters in rather short sentences. Completely undecipherable to my thirty-eight-year-old eyes, too... she and her friend could have been trading sex tips or recipes or bomb plans, and I'd never know.

"Who taught you how to type?" I wondered, noticing that she was doing all of this with her left index finger and thumb and her right index and middle fingers, nowhere near the home keys.

"What do you mean?" she returned, baffled by my implication that typing was something you are supposed to learn, rather than something one simply does. I recommended that she learn to type so that she could write more accurately and quickly, and she took this piece of advice and stuck it in the same place she sticks all my pieces of advice.

And why not? The only people she communicates with are those her own age who write exactly the same way (and, if I remember teenage girls rightly, saying exactly the same pointless things), so why should she bother learning to spell correctly and type correctly? Why should anyone?

I know that I can be off-putting to some fellow JUBbers who are impatient with my twelve-dollar words and ten-paragraph posts, so I try to keep that in mind when communicating here. We're all at different skill-levels, is all. Of course, we can all improve, and I think that improvement does occur here because we are each of us being exposed to a different skill-level, a different usage-level, every time we visit and with every post we read.

Intercommunication is what breaks down class distinctions, and it is what will break down linguistic barriers.

What bothers me, though, is the defeatist attitudes of people who don't spell or type well. There are those who feel that they are to stupid to learn to write better, and so they don't even try; there are those who feel they are too clumsy to learn to type better and so they don't try. I am always saddened by this attitude. The human brain is designed to constantly learn; and if you're not constantly learning new things, your brain stagnates. And studies have shown that stagnant brains decline into senility a whole lot faster than active brains.

So never say "I can't," OK?

 

[DiaryOfAMadman]

I always beleive that at all times there are people who just feel the need to complain about something. But you know everyting is O.K. when the worst someone can complain about is grammar.

Just deal with it. If you got two sentances into someones post and then deem that their grammar is just too much to deal with, then just move on and read someone another post. I greatly dislike the Grammar Police, don't you have anything better to do?

 

[tbonez]

A great many can't put two words together and make sense. It is absurd!
The calibre ( Can. Sp.) of English from Italian, French,German and Dutch jubbers has to be seen to be believed. P.M.s from them never cease to amaze me.

It is almost impossible to make a sentence (or "sense") with two words. It generally takes at least five words to conjure a coherent thought. IMO it generally takes much more skill to be clearer with fewer words...like two. Notable exceptions being such gems as "Suck my cock!"...which is three words BTW.

It seems every day I come on, another language is slowly taking over this site.

I'm not saying an actual language, I'm complaining more about the usage of "slang" and "internet banter".

But what is with this new fixation of replacing S with Z?

And then there comes the biggest atrocity against the English language: The poor usage of grammar.

As for the "z" for "s", blame the English. They started it and some of us can't seem to stop.

I'm unsure when "we" were supposed to have learned proper spelling and grammar (not to mention punctuation). I vaguely recall a few lessons in grade school but that's about it. The rubric that was all the rage when I went to school was that focusing on spelling and structure crushed creativity and was avoided much of the time.

One of the culprits is text messaging..."extra letters" are the enemy of speed and don't often add clarity. Show me an apostrophe on my phone key-pad... It's there I'm sure, but I've never seen it.

I only obsess about punctuation when it muddles the message. As for spelling: "I could never stand a man who could only spell a word one way". (Mark Twain... I think?)

I just finished reading Londonstani and I can tell you that what goes on here is easy-peasy to decipher!

 

[agj25us]

I run a Business - as a matter of fact several of them.
I have to (and know when to) dot all my i's and cross all my t's.
BUT I come to JUB to have fun NOT to work - and I don't care if my English or Grammar is NOT "correct" NOR do I care if anyone elses is. As long as I can read posts without giving myself a headache, I can live with it! And if it DID really upset me, I could simply bypass that Post! Life is too short to be critical and cynical!!!

 

[natedogg323]

I can't believe that this is even an issue. If you can't stand some of us being less educated, then leave. How hard it must be for you to go through life surrounded by such moron's as us. Do you critique emails you get from boyfriends, co-workers, family, etc. Are you being paid here to do this? People come from different cultures and lifestyles. We all speak differently, we all express our ideas differently. I hate these negative posts, but I can't keep silent when the topic is sooo judgemental. I personally was horible in english, never could spell to save my life. But thats me and I take serious offense to being critiqued by the english police here at JUB.

 

[gsdx]

It is almost impossible to make a sentence (or "sense") with two words.

I agree.

 

[bj____]

I usually just correct the mistakes, that I notice, in my mind as I read. When I worked tech support I learned to be very patient with people that don't speak or understand the English language very well. I think, as mentioned a few times above, you have to take into consideration that JUB is international. There are many people here that may have never learned proper English. They may know what they do from translation books or the internet which can cause for a lot of mispronunciations and grammar or spelling errors. As for native English speakers that don't use correct gammar they may have never learned to use it properly. Some English speakers may be illiterate, but they can talk your ear off. Does that mean they should refrain from attempting to type their thoughts and responses so you don't have to see their mistakes? You just have to accept that not everyone is on the same level as you and learn to either ignore those responses or correct the mistakes as you go through. I think a lot of English speakers (Maybe it is just us Americans) expect everyone else in the world to know English, and this just isn't the case.

 

[gsdx]

I am thankful that it is acceptable to abbreviate and shorten the essence of a message I send

That is understandable and acceptable when the correspondence is understood by both. However, if when it becomes part of my Emails and such, it is no-longer acceptable simply because I have to decipher it, and I can't be bothered.

You mention that language evolves. Yes, it does, but the language generally remains recognizable, which is why we can still read Shakespeare today. It's the same language.

The 'messaging' language is an entirely new language. It is not recognizable anymore.

 

[lukylok]

Don't get me started!!!

And before Croynan beats me to it ......

Why can't the English learn to speak?

Edited



It's funny, I very often think to Professor Higgins while reading the posts in JUB. But I thought I was the only one !



I personnally think bad English has nothing to do with being the second or third language. It is not my mother tongue either. It is only polite to try to speak correctly.

And it has nothing to do with poor education, unless you delight in using poor language. It is always the time to improve your skills.

 

[just_mills]

I run a Business - as a matter of fact several of them.
I have to (and know when to) dot all my i's and cross all my t's.
BUT I come to JUB to have fun NOT to work - and I don't care if my English or Grammar is NOT "correct" NOR do I care if anyone elses is. As long as I can read posts without giving myself a headache, I can live with it! And if it DID really upset me, I could simply bypass that Post! Life is too short to be critical and cynical!!!

I agree.. who cares.. live and let be..
theres a lot of other things worth worrying about, than teh way people type on a keyboard!

 

[wit_afrika]

I have learnt to abuse the English language rather well when I send text messages via my cellphone, but I surpose that's what happens when you try and cram as much text as possible into a limited message space.

I may be straying slightly from the topic here, but you might find this interesting.
We have eleven official languages in our crazy little world of SA.

See the link below:
http://www.cyberserv.co.za/users/~jako/lang/

 

[NameTaken]

Here is some advice:

Don't use ANY internet forums if you really care that much because there are ALWAYS going to be some people who type that way because it's faster and easier for them. And really... If you get THAT bothered by it you're kind of a douche anyway.

 

[just_mills]

I may be straying slightly from the topic here, but you might find this interesting.
We have eleven official languages in our crazy little world of SA.

See the link below:
http://www.cyberserv.co.za/users/~jako/lang/

thats the most interesting thing ive seen in the entire thread!
thats actually really bizarre! im gonna check it all out now!! nice one!!