The English language on the Internet

[Porsche virgin]

It is quite a culture shock sometimes when you post on other boards. Someone on the RSX forum I occasionally read posted this:

hey guys like it says i have this rear bumper comes with the lip still panited camp white sellin for 350 i think thats a good price since icb sells the bumper with lip for 400+. should have pics up 2marro. let me know ooo and thats 350 P/U. i will ship if i can find a box big enough for it so 350 + shipping or 350 P/U



What is the Internet doing to our language? I proof my text at least once for errors. I can't be the only one! PParts readers seem to know that prolly (probably) is not a word!

Arrrggghhh!

Sorry, rant over.

[RickM]

I don't think it's the internet. It looks like this one had a rough time getting out of 2nd grade english class.

[legion]

I'm still somewhat active on a paintball BBS. I saw posts like this all the time. I frequently had to reply "I have no idea what you are trying to say."

Funny story. We had an external project planner here a few years ago who wrote like that. No one could understand her e-mails. I was instrumental in showing her the door. If she was an internal, I would have at least given her a chance to improve. I expect externals to show up ready to hit the ground running. That is what they are paid for. I made a very angry phone call to her employer (as I saw it as their responsibility to supply qualified people).

[FrayAdjacent911]

I have been on the internet since 95 some time, and have been on, and still get on, many internet forums such as this one.

Poor writing skills are rampant among the younger generation. I'm talking atrocious spelling, horrific grammar, wrong tenses, wrong use of punctuation...

And it's hard not to treat them as dumbasses, because they sound like dumbasses...

[widebody911]

I get emails like that all the time via my VW bus web site. OTOH, the emails I get from Porsche people are generally grammatically correct, with proper spelling, punctuation, and not much in the way of 'texting' shortcuts.

[djmcmath]

u make funna me 4 my typing i think i type fine jus coz u cant read wut i write doest make u stupid u azzhol3 jus coz english mebbee not my firs langaj u think it funny to maake fun n who cares if my aposterphy is in the rong place n-e-way effer!!1 so wot if my grammers nott prefect u no wat im tryg to say n-e-way rite n if u dont well who cares bout yer cocky azz neway.

[MysticLlama]

I've noticed this a lot too, huge pet peeve of mine. I can't even write a text message on my phone in shorthand, I try, it looks wrong, and I just correct it and put in punctuation. It's really not *that* hard.

About people you work with; we had someone here at the office, one of the owners actually, that wrote all of their e-mails in shorthand.

There was definately thoughts going through their head, but it was all taken down as notes and then sent off to someone as if they'd have a clue.

It's hard to describe, and I can't find a good one as an example right now, but I'm sure some of you have experienced the same thing. Basically notes, just half sentences, incomplete thoughts, etc. sent in an e-mail.

[MysticLlama]

Another thing is the English as a 2nd language excuse. I don't know if I completely buy that.

Most people that I know that have English as a 2nd language can read and write it better than the majority of Americans. At the very least you can tell that they attempted to create a good sentence even if it's not quite right, and aren't just being lazy.

[FrayAdjacent911]

I do the same as Llama... I send text messages a lot from my phone with several friends, and it's really not difficult to spell out a whole word.

[legion]

I'm 26. I'm repeatedly offended by the lack of grammar skills exhibited by friends that I grew up with and went to school with. Some of them I had the very same English classes with!

On the other hand, I think that when I took Spanish in high school that my grammar improved markedly. I still speak very poor Spanish, but the classes did teach me how to deconstruct English.

[David]

Sounds like that post deserves a rabbit with a pancake on its head.

[bryanthompson]

Man, I hate quotes. I can never get them figured out. I have a grammar book sitting on my shelf right here, but I still can't tame the quotes. Sometimes I'll be writing something that needs a "quote" of some kind, but I never know for sure where to stick the comma or punctuation, so I just randomly throw it in there wherever looks good.

[cowtown]

Teh innernet 0wnz u, d00dz....

[MysticLlama]

Well, with quotes, especially when you do air quotes, don't use it to say I'm "sorry", that's not using it right.

[84porsche]

The English language has changed significantly. I think that when typing quickly and on a BBS, their has to be a level of understanding which is really all that counts. If on the other hand you are sending an email for business, it should not only be grammatically correct but your spelling should be right as well. This should not be hard especially with spell check and other tools available. I know if I don't reread what I type, I am bound to miss a word or spell something incorrectly.

[88BlueTSiQuest]

These are quotes I read, or tried to read, on another forum I belong to. I honestly couldn't translate them for myself. I might run the through Babel fish, and see what it comes up with.

Enjoy:

MY BOY SAID DATS WAT IT IS I HAVENT SEEN IT BUT I KNOW IT BRAND NEW AND WAS TOLD THEY GO FOR A DECENT PRICE SO IfreakNOW ANYMONE DAT WANTS IS LET ME KNOW AND THANKS FOR DA INFO

i know dis is a starquest web site and all but in a bind and need to sell some stuff out off my home i got a 32 inch jvc tv for sale im asking 250 and it run like 350 to 450 in stores and i got a 1000 watt home radio wit full around da room speakers and a decent size sub dis i want atleast 300 and it sell for like 400 to 500 in da stores im selling dis stuff cas im in a bind from were a FORD f-150 ran in to da front of my car wen it was snowing he thought he could drift and he hit it hard and took off and got away so i need money to finish my body work so email me at puaar10@xxxxx.com or if u live in my area code call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx dats my cell and my home is xxxxxx-xxxx

oh ya almost forgot i got a t/3 turbo for sale it was on my boys civic for bout 30 miles after he put new bearings in it i got dat for sale for 250 it comes wit a side mount inter cooler not any of us would need one but i throw it in there cas its taking up space and wo eve buys da turbo can just sell in to some one wit a honda and get bac some of there money and i also have a 91 civic hatch it needs a radiator and starter and windsheild all i want is 150 to get rid of it it has da 1.5 motar dat does run good and a 4 speed tranny and for 650 more i can get a stage three vtech motor for it from my boy motor come out of a 99 civic and has 60000 miles on it and as i said before all this as to go im dying not being able to drive my car i love itso much and am ready to hear dat turbo spool again

Those are both totally unedited, copied and pasted in their entirety(sp?) I'd spell check that one word, but it would take too long to get to it.


P.S. This isn't someone who just learned English as their second or third language, as those people generally have a better grasp of it than this guy from North Carolina has.

[88BlueTSiQuest]

Well I tried out Babel fish, and unfortunately, there isn't a 'Moron to English' translation. So, I translated the 2nd quote into Dutch, then translated the Dutch response back into English.

I know DIS it is a more starquest website and all apart from it commits and it should xepoyli'sej some substance from the house to me I took a TV of 32 inch jvc for sale im asking 250 and it runs as 350 until 450 in the shops and took a total of domestic radjo spirit 1000 Watts round the speakers of rooms DA and a decent size under - DIS I want atleast 300 and sell for similar 400 with 500 in shops im DA selling substance CAS im DIS they commit from it was a CROSSING f - 150 they ran in in forehead DA of car my wen this ehjo'njzan this they thought it could drift also him it struck hardly and it was taken off and the acquired far thus money 1000 Watt gy'rw apo' toys omjlite's dwmatj'wn DA kaj e'na ko'smjo me'gecos ypo - DIS ce'lw atleast 300 kaj pwlej' gja omoejdi' 400 me 500 sta katasti'mata im DA pwlw'ntas oysj'a CAS im DIS desmey'oyn apo' i'tan mja DJAVASI f - 150 e'trexan me'sa sto me'twpo DA toy aytokjni'toy moy wen ayto' ehjo'njzan ayto's ske'ftikan ca mporoy'se na parasy'rej kaj to hty'pise sklira' kaj apogejw'cike kaj ta apoktime'na makrja' e'tsj hri'mata ana'gkis I in order to they finish my work of bodies me they send message with the electronic post thus in puaar10@xxxxx.com or if u live in my code of region me calls in xxxxxxxxxx my dats cell and my house is almost xxxxxxxxxx OH ya forgot took t/3 turbo for the sale were in the boys my politician for the period 30 miles since put the new bearings in I took dat for sale for 250 comes spirit a side it places via container of refrigeration no anyones of us they would need the one but him throw there in the CAS the reception of interval and wo the eve it buys the DA turbo it can precisely it sells in roughly a spirit a Honda and it reaches the TSE certain from there the money and has also a political door 91 needs a thermal body and starter and windsheild all wants I am 150 in order to him I am unloaded this I have DA 1,5 motar dat they run good and 4 they accelerate tranny and for 650 more i they can take a stage three machine vtech because from the machine of boys to me it comes out from 99 politically and has 60000 miles in and as I said before all this so that I go im dying not being to place to lead my car of I itso love very and am they expect in order to they hear dat the swirl strofj'o again

I still can't figure it out

[ronin]

Originally posted by djmcmath
u make funna me 4 my typing i think i type fine jus coz u cant read wut i write doest make u stupid u azzhol3 jus coz english mebbee not my firs langaj u think it funny to maake fun n who cares if my aposterphy is in the rong place n-e-way effer!!1 so wot if my grammers nott prefect u no wat im tryg to say n-e-way rite n if u dont well who cares bout yer cocky azz neway.

you don't say?

[Porsche virgin]

I have to ask, when did making a word plural entail an apostrophe?

I have several coffee mug's.

WTF?!?

[ronin]

my personal pet peeve. the rule seems to be that if the word ends with an "s" then it is mandatory to cram a f%$*#ng apostrophe in there. don't get me started

there was a thread about this whole language bastardization thing not too long ago...