The Death of the Question Mark ? ? ? ? ?

Oh Gee;

 I could've gone there too . When I was a kid I was told it was Checzkloslovakia . Somehow over the years the first " L " disappeared .Same with De-Salinization . Now it's missing the  "iz  " . Language changes partly on the part of the users due to laziness .

   Kind of reminds me of the two Bushes , saying Newcular instead of Nuclear , See ?  T.B. 

well I was going to have a rant on the use of "disorientated" as opposed to "disoriented" but apparently they mean the same.  One is just the English version of  an American term.  You learn something every day...

CharleyGnarlyP290

 

 

What drives me insane is writing out a nice, detailed text about whatever, and getting the response "K." "K" what? Nice letter, but what does it mean. One person in particular does this and it almost throws me into a blue, Irish rage. So, being a knucklehead of the first order, I respond to texts from this person with a randon letter.

Good post Doog.

 

I do the same thing with a particular friend who is habitually using the dreaded "u" in place of the same word with two more important letters. I always answer her posts with "I do not understand your comment/question. Can you please clarify?"

Gets her every time. I'm glad she's an old, dear friend, or she'd probably deep six me by now....

ManCityFan

I have been ridiculed for using full words and punctuation when texting. I have co-workers who have not figured out the difference between your and you're. Makes me crazy. I used to pride myself on having a well developed vocabulary, but with age, I am finding that I am much less erudite due to having difficulty recalling words. Having a well developed vocabulary and a good sense of humor go hand in hand. Without the vocabulary, you miss too much of the word play, and well thought out word play is a reason to live! A pun! A pun! My horse for a pun!

 

This.

People always hack me for using full words and sentences to convey a message via text. The only one that doesn't is my youngest son/middle child. Has made it a far as graduating from community college thus far, and to date has had no grade, ever, below an A. And he is an English freak. He loves anything to do with language and words.

What drives me insane is writing out a nice, detailed text about whatever, and getting the response "K." "K" what? Nice letter, but what does it mean. One person in particular does this and it almost throws me into a blue, Irish rage. So, being a knucklehead of the first order, I respond to texts from this person with a randon letter.

Good post Doog.

Ahh shuck man, LOL.

armornut

I try T.B., we think english is tough to spell through, did I get a rude awakening. When I was in Shreveport Louisiana, I saw all kinds of signs that read "Geaux Tigers" , well my yankee ignorance and natural curiosity got the best of me so I asked what in the world does Geaux mean? The reply from the locals was "go". 'bout a week later I figured out I wasn't cut out to live in the south. 

Bish its color sir not colour LOL. like Lincoln only different.

 

I despair i really do. All these years and you ain't learnt nuffink.

Hodakamax

Cheez, I'm married to a journalist and ex-English Teacher, I can't get away with anything! All good of course, I've been writing a lot lately on forums and other journalistic endevours and she keeps me straight with her Big Red teacher marking pen. I still make mistakes and I'm corrected often. I'm lucky to have her for many reasons!

We duz the best we can. 

Max

 

Can't be good for your screen though.

Interesting conversation this one, so if I can add my 2 Canadian cents...Language is a living, changing thing. In my family, while growing up, we spoke one language but outside the house we switched to the local one. So I grew up bilingual (along the way I learned English and Italian). But, since there were no other people who spoke our language (except grandparents) our language was fairly old style compared to current speakers. So when we had tourists coming from our country of origin, which my great-great parents left more then 120 yrs ago, they were always srprised about our archaic expressions, the way we addressed our parent, manners etc. So I guess we are seeing the same thing with todays generation and that our grandparents were maybe also thinking the same about us.

Jim Barton

 Here's the difference: "Lightening," as in, "The wheelbarrow is too heavy with two bags of cement in it, so I'm lightening the load by removing one so I don't get a hernia."

"Lightning," as in "During the thunderstorm yesterday, I saw lightning hit a power pole and blow it to bits." 

 

When I first started flying and got back into models...I would hear "lightning holes", referring to aircraft construction. Admitting my ignorance...I didn't know there was a name for those holes, and had assumed that they were a structural thing (thinking about the strength of an arch) and/or for reducing weight. After hearing "lightning holes", I thought that maybe, somehow, some way, they had a special purpose for when the aircraft was struck by lightning(how? I do not know!). It wasn't until I saw it in print "lightening holes", that it all made sense!

Cheez, I'm married to a journalist and ex-English Teacher, I can't get away with anything! All good of course, I've been writing a lot lately on forums and other journalistic endevours and she keeps me straight with her Big Red teacher marking pen. I still make mistakes and I'm corrected often. I'm lucky to have her for many reasons!

We duz the best we can. 

Max

the doog

I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying the conversation, ribbing, and information and input in this thread. Good to know that I'm not the only one who is lamenting the corruption of our written language. Keep the thoughts coming, anyone who has something to contribute. :)

 

 

Karl, you've definitely hit the nail on the head. I get confused real easily with all the "text-speak" and "text-spell" that more and more ends up on computer forums and from what I understand, even student papers. I'm glad I'm not an English teacher.

About a month ago, I was in the apartment manager's office and she had a few papers she was going to post that had wrong sentence construction and when I pointed it out and verbalized how the sentence should be written correctly, she said that while what I said sounds correct, her computer "grammar checker" (I didn't know they even had those, only spell-checkers, which I'll touch on in a minute) told her the wrong way was correct. I gently pointed out to her that aside from the fact that I'd never heard of a grammar checker, my spell checker insists that I spell my original home city name wrong and so I don't put too much stock in it and to ignore the grammar checker in this case. (More recently, when they had to close the swimming pool for remodeling, she put up a notice "Pool Close for Remodeling." Without the D.)

Now my take on spell checkers: I can understand, for example, when I type in the name of a Hawaiian community like Koloa or Lihue or Aiea, the spell checker telling me I made a mistake. But my spell checker insists I misspell Los Angeles. I'm originally from a suburb of Los Angeles; I still go to Los Angeles at least once a year for visits, and I know darn good and well how to spell Los Angeles! Bottom line: The spell checker is an idiot.

On to another subject: Aside from the usual "your/you're" and "it's/its" and "they're/their/there" mix-ups discussed earlier that drive me crazy, here's one that drives  me up the wall and down the other side: As someone who loves the weather, I hate seeing "lightning" as in "thunder and..." spelled with an E! No, no, no!

Here's the difference: "Lightening," as in, "The wheelbarrow is too heavy with two bags of cement in it, so I'm lightening the load by removing one so I don't get a hernia."

"Lightning," as in "During the thunderstorm yesterday, I saw lightning hit a power pole and blow it to bits." 

I try T.B., we think english is tough to spell through, did I get a rude awakening. When I was in Shreveport Louisiana, I saw all kinds of signs that read "Geaux Tigers" , well my yankee ignorance and natural curiosity got the best of me so I asked what in the world does Geaux mean? The reply from the locals was "go". 'bout a week later I figured out I wasn't cut out to live in the south. 

Bish its color sir not colour LOL. like Lincoln only different.

Armornut ;

 Nyce ta see dat youse is one ob usins .LOL.LOL.LOL.  T.B.

Oh My ;

 I like that Allusion to the " Bard " By the way, What's a  "Bard" ?  T.B.

Doog ;

 That is one of my pet peeves .We talk about the one thing that could wipe out everybody and don't even pronounce it right .It is not NuKya leer  , or newculer it plain and simple Nuclear - Pronounced New Clear . There is no Kya Or Cul in it .  T.B.

Ah Goldhammer ;

 I do that a lot some days , Cursing in writive is a creative title . , .  T.B.

The thoughts,observations and humorous anecdotes expressed here-to fore are exceeded only by my inability to expound upon them.

the doog

Bish, just remember that the root of "definitely" is "define". No "a" involved anywhere. Alternately, think of "finite". That's how I remember it.

 

Now, hold on there. No body told me i had to think, let alone remember things. I ain't no genius you know.

Bish, just remember that the root of "definitely" is "define". No "a" involved anywhere. Alternately, think of "finite". That's how I remember it.

Aaronw

 

As a Gen X'r I'm not supposed to like email or texts but I love those technologies. Texting is so conveinient and unobtrusive compared to a phone call.

 

For instance: setting up a guitar lesson; I'll get a text from a student saying something like "Can't make tonight; may have work tomorrow. Do you have anything open on Thr or Fr?"---there is NO WAY I am going to text a response on my 2009 flip-phone!

Rrrrrrring....."Hello, Henry? Yeah, you have to work tomorrow? You don't know? Ok, well if you don't I have 10 or 11 AM open. If not, how about 2:00 on Thursday? Friday's no good for me. OK? OK, then let me know for tomorrow, and if not then, I'll see you on Thursday, thanks"!

What takes less than 5 minutes of conversation would have taken us fully a dozen texts or more and probably 20 minutes. Ugh. What a nightmare.

the doog

 

 

armornut

Let not your heart be troubled dear Doog, for you are among friends. Yes our written language has taken a HUGE hit since the advent of the telephone and hence the upgrade in technology it brought with it. I for one am guilty as charged of run along sentences, improper punctuation, and my mild pet peev....spelling. It is one thing to speak the word incorrectly while someone is listening, however to type it and think that everyone will know what your trying to say. Again I to am guilty. Perhaps the saying "better to be thought of a fool than open your mouth and prove it" should be applied in this strange new world. In conclusion I agree with everybody who commented in this thread, a simpler time has been religated to the annals of history and we must set forth on a new path to continue to succeed. P.S. I gots grandma roasting on the spit, what kinda BBQ sauce shoulds I put on her?

 

 

 

 

Oh, I agree--the spelling is atrocious! I see "definately" alot----NO "A" in "definiitely"! But you have to realize too, with the whole spelling thing, that very often a spelling "mistake" is the fault of that damned "auto-fill" feature. Sometimes when I'm posting on my iPad, the stupidest things get put in that sometimes don't even make sense. I'm always having to proofread my posts to make sure I don't sound like a....millenial. :)

 

I prefer a hickory smoke on the BBQ.

 

You should try being English. All those Auto fill's and spell checkers are set to American, so they are always trying to take the U out of words amongst other things. Not that my spelling needs any help from an Auto correct, i can spell perfectly badly all on my own.

And definately is definitely one of my weak points. But only with 2 i's not 3

Congratulations, with this post you have caused me to come out of the shadows to offer my support to your message. I like my punctuation the way I like my women, with some curves.  I agree that the question mark is by far the sexiest of all our punctuation marks. 

As a Gen X'r I'm not supposed to like email or texts but I love those technologies. Texting is so conveinient and unobtrusive compared to a phone call. It is unfortunate that it has led to "leet speak" and a deterioration of the written word. I am guilty of some abbreviation BTW, IMO etc but have resisted the true abomination of using numerals as a replacement for words.

As for cursive, I learned to read and write with it in the 3rd grade. My mother uses it heavily so I have mainted the ability to read it more or less. I use it when signing my name but beyond that I have little use for it outside of artistic purposes. The vast majority of my writing is done electronically these days except for note taking which in my case is an appalling drunken chicken scratch of scribbles.

It is time to bring back School House Rock, I still hear some of these songs in my head when I'm trying to remember rules of grammer.

Don Stauffer

 

 

PontiacRich

 

 

the doog

 

 

Don Stauffer

 

Using the word the before a word starting with a consonent used to be pronounced th-ah.  If the second word started with a vowel, it was sounded like thee.  Now it is pronounced the same for either kind of word.

 

 

 

Really? I honestly never knew that! Very interesting!

 

My pet peeve is when people put an "R" on the ends of words like "China" when the next word starts with a vowel. Must be some silly grammar rule I never heard of. You'll hear things like "Delegates from 'Chiner" are meeting today..". Drives me NUTS!

 

 

 

 

The "R" seems to be a geographical issue.  Being from Boston, people accuse me of not using R's (as in car is cah!) yet we seem to put R's at the end of words that end in a vowel (as pizza is pronounced pizzer).  Yet when I lived in Washington State, Washington was pronounced WaRshington by many natives.

 

 

 

 

And we had a President who would say, "let us attack Cuber with vigah!"

 

And now we have one that thinks "Bigly" is actually a word 

To this day I still keep a dictionary on my nightstand. It would drive me crazy not to know definition of a word I am not 100% sure. But what do I know, friends used to make fun of me because I read encyclopedias. Kind of miss those World Books....

P.S. I really like the dictionary function on E-Books...My dictionary is heavy!

PontiacRich

 

 

the doog

 

 

Don Stauffer

 

Using the word the before a word starting with a consonent used to be pronounced th-ah.  If the second word started with a vowel, it was sounded like thee.  Now it is pronounced the same for either kind of word.

 

 

 

Really? I honestly never knew that! Very interesting!

 

My pet peeve is when people put an "R" on the ends of words like "China" when the next word starts with a vowel. Must be some silly grammar rule I never heard of. You'll hear things like "Delegates from 'Chiner" are meeting today..". Drives me NUTS!

 

 

 

 

The "R" seems to be a geographical issue.  Being from Boston, people accuse me of not using R's (as in car is cah!) yet we seem to put R's at the end of words that end in a vowel (as pizza is pronounced pizzer).  Yet when I lived in Washington State, Washington was pronounced WaRshington by many natives.

 

And we had a President who would say, "let us attack Cuber with vigah!"

armornut

Well its about time 214, we have been neighbors for years. LOL

One of the best ways to show intelligence at a first impression, ie job interview, first date,business, etc, is to use proper english. I think the problem lies in folks hearing "big words" and not knowing the meaning of the word, use them out of context.

 

I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying the conversation, ribbing, and information and input in this thread. Good to know that I'm not the only one who is lamenting the corruption of our written language. Keep the thoughts coming, anyone who has something to contribute. :)

Well its about time 214, we have been neighbors for years. LOL

One of the best ways to show intelligence at a first impression, ie job interview, first date,business, etc, is to use proper english. I think the problem lies in folks hearing "big words" and not knowing the meaning of the word, use them out of context. I try to use proper english as much as I can and I like to expand my vocabulary not to overpower folks however to get my point across as clear as possible. Now if I can just get my punctuation down.....lookout world. Now where DID I hide that ?????

fermis

 

 

the doog

 

 

fermis

 

 

 There seems to be a fine line between well spoken and pretentious (look how smart I am, with my big words).

 

 

 My comment was in no way, an accusation towards you. I have never felt that way when reading any of your writing here. I have only felt that about one person here, and I don't believe he's around anymore (he tended to show up, only when there was an argument). Anyway, not to be a kiss@$$, but I can only compliment you on your "wordsmithery".