[G4] [OT] Correct English Flame War

[keith_w]

ewood at izoom.net wrote:
>> And here's yet another old curmudgeon who would remind you that the
>> correct spelling of grammar does not include an "e" in place of the
>> second "a". Also, the correct usage is "people ... who" instead of
>> "people ... that". Since we're in a glass house, so to speak, I'll not
>> cast more stones.
>>
>> :^)
>>
>> Jim Scott

> It's something worth study, just how America has come to let its language
> suffer. I suppose the greatest factor is the lack of a language academy,
> so that we lack a central authority on the subject, more or less. 

That statement is without meaning to me.
How do you define a 'language academy' and of what use/authority is it?
Do you know of any other (than the U.S.) country that has one?

> Our country also lacks an official language, and this might be 
> leading to a lack of linguistic pride and identity.

I think that's a path well worth pursuing...

> And then we just have less reading and prose writing overall, which lends
> our language a more utilitarian nature. 

This subject requires much discussion (not HERE, of course!)

My daughter, whose own daughters are freshman and juniors in high school, says 
there's no such thing as cursive writing any more. No classes & no interest.
Virtually everyone prints (or text messages, is more like it!)
In school, we used to write notes to classmates, now our progeny text messages. 
Everybody knows that!

> Thus people type quick SMSes and
> emails, being more concerned with the kind of rapid communication
> associated with spoken language than with literacy and style. I think the
> shift away from traditional literacy is eroding the written word, and
> education would have to make great efforts to even hope to halt or reverse
> this. 

Ooops! I'm not altogether sure that's even possible! I firmly believe the best 
we can do is direct it... Add to it, provide ways of teaching and devise proper 
classes/instruction, geared toward bringing literacy back into our kids' spoken 
and written language...
We've a long and bumpy road ahead of us, folks. Believe it!

> Too many people just don't care enough in a society where good prose
> is not strictly required to be respected and make a living. So if I follow
> this line of reasoning, economic concerns take precedence over literacy,
> and then let's not forget that people have auto-correcting word processors
> to fix their mistakes for them, should they even choose to use those.

Right, and MY auto-correcting email client-resident w.p. insists on changing my 
"off topic" acronym in front of the Subject, from [OT] to [TO]. Sighhh.
I've developed a work-around, but it's tedious and annoying.
Yet, I don't go into my WP Preferences to change the automatic part...

keith whaley