screw english, we need to just go to a system of clicks and whistles.

Slang and this style of "writing" are usually hallmarks of teenagers. Some adults simply never grew up, apparently.

English is not my first language either.

LeRoux

BTW, wtf does WTF mean? ;)

Ronin, great link... remember our Shakespearian debate of turbo Vs N/A?

My theory, (which is mine, developed by me, that I came about BY myself)*
Our new generations just don't read anymore, what with every spare moment spent playing video games or being force fed materialistic garbage via TV. When was the last time you saw a teenager flipping through a magazine or a newspaper?

*Monty Python reference

Great Python reference! I thought I was the only one who ever saw that skit! Nobody remembers it when I mention my theory (which is mine, etc)!

Excellent point about reading. That said, I did very little reading when I was young. (Too much Led Zeppelin to listen to back then.)

Another thought I had is the impatience of today's society. Everything has to be RIGHT NOW!!! That translates into writing. My messages need to be instant. I can't be bothered to think about stupid things like spelling and punctuation.

That is where responsible parenting comes in. My son reads all the time. I read to him every night from a book of his choice. (sometimes I choose, while his school feels the need to skip some classics I think its important for him to read them) He reads his own books too as well as magazines.

He is limited to 1 hour of video games a day. Except right now, he has not been keeping his room clean so he has lost his video game privilege's. He is only allowed to play on weekends now and even then its limited to 1 hour per day.

Part of me says this phenomenon is related to the whole text messaging being popular along with Internet forums. Express the message with as little keystrokes as possible. I agree it makes them look as stupid as dirt.

I read a lot growing up. I mean, I read A LOT growing up. I mean, my first pass through Tolkein's trilogy happened when I was 6. I suppose it helped to have well-educated parents - my dad was always reading scholarly references on theology and what-not. I had rules about video game time, and my parents would always take me to the library if I wanted more books.

These days, I collect books faster than I can read them. I still read heavily. And childish grammar still annoys me!

I guess I expect it on the internet, where children loiter about talking about their most recent trip to the mall, or what size coffee can makes their Honda go faster. I don't expect it at work. I have a fine collection of professional sailors working for me, but relatively few of them have anything like writing capability. Worse, my boss doesn't even care -- which is embarrassing. "It's 'courts-martial,' not 'court-martials,' I say. When two nouns are joined as one word, then made plural, the 's' goes after the first word -- think 'passers-by.'" He just glares at me and insists that it be done incorrectly, because that's how he says it. Aargh.

My left side of my brain is a slacker, the right side is dominant. What this means is I have to work at writing, spelling and math to some extent.

What I'm saying is I can feel handicapped using the internet (typing) as my only means of communication - hence I like to post pictures with my comments. It’s great to have this as an option for the spatial or graphically oriented brain.

I feel the Internet writing styles are more expressive than other type mediums because of the so-called rules and to a lesser extent the lack of rules.

For example if you type in all large case capital letters, then you are shouting. The italics and bold letters are not so abused or typically used in business and pleasure reading materials. This in a nutshell why the Internet medium is so creative and naturally freeform............................love the dot dot dot thing too.

Yes, it's changing (changed) the way we write, time for a smiley face.:)

Parents do have a lot to do with how we communicate and the level of education that we aspire TO (don't end a sentence with a preposition).

Anyway, I remember I had just finished an Agatha Christie novel. I handed the book to my dad and said, "dad, this is a really good book." He sat down and read the book cover-to-cover, handed it back and said, "that is a good book."

Point is, in my family, we consider reading as we do breathing, eating, or cutting the grass. It is second nature to us.

lol, brb, btw, l8tr

Correct use of the English language is under siege. I see deteriorating spelling and grammar even in Wall Street reports which are supposedly written by highly-educated people and supposedly go out to highly-valued clients. The most common problem is hononyms, for example when companies need to "reign in their spending" because "the upturn in revenues is not eminent".

If it makes us feel better, correct use of the French language also appears to be under seige. A young French girl (14 y/o) I know writes all her emails in the most atrocious shorthand, what they call "SMS French".

I suppose there's nothing to do but retreat to a remote cabin in Montana, shotgun in hand, and wait for the end. But let it be an engraved over-under fowling piece.

Not really related, but I thought it was funny, here is a list my daughter wrote when she was 6 or so and learning to write stories at school:

Rools you shood know

1. Whrit your name first
2. Live spas
3. Chece it ugen
4. Thingoe ubout the story
5. Cut it into littole chucs you know
6. Pay utinshin

That's never a rule I've really made sense of. Or ... I've always had a hard time making sense of that rule. I mean, come on, what's wrong with the occasional preposition-terminator? Or a dangling participle? What's the harm?! Where's the outrage!?



So there's this young student, right, and he's just arrived for Freshman year at Oxford. He's lost, so he stops and asks a professor for direcions: "Hey, do you know where the cafeteria is at?"

The professor glares at the new Freshman and announces proudly and with perfect diction, "Young man, at Oxford we do not end our sentences with prepositions."

The student responds, "Ok ... do you know where the cafeteria is at, *********?"

I never understood that rule either. That's why I abuse it whenever I need TO.

BTW, what is a dangling participle?

Here are some good rules to follow when writing or speaking.

(thanks to William Saffire)

* Remember to never split an infinitive.
* The passive voice should never be used.
* Do not put statements in the negative form.
* Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
* Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
* If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
* A writer must not shift your point of view.
* And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
* Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
* Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
* Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
* If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
* Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
* Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
* Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
* Always pick on the correct idiom.
* The adverb always follows the verb.
* Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

Jus a buncho peeps keepnit on da downlow wit da net tawlk.... atsall

The most popular one on a tech board I frequented for a while was:

OMGHI2UWTFBBQ

I guess they added BBQ because it rhymed with 2U?

Now they just say the word spider somewhere in every thread, hrm.

That's far more inteligent than most of the 'net-speak' on the internet.

I was never good in English classes, and have been guilty of the apostrophe before the s in some case's :p

I know alot of the issues are with speed, trying to type quickly, and hit the reply button to get your message posted. But I'd never lower my self to the unintelligible 'net-speak' standards.

wat?