I'm often guilty of typing/writing the way I talk and don’t often think about who has to read it. It’s not that I can't spell but more idleness, and I don’t consider my self to be poor at grammar as I often put grammar in my typing/writing even when I use my local dialect. Though I defy anyone who tries to correct my dialect if anyone thinks of me as not putting any effort into posts on here tell me so. But one thing I don’t like is text speak and I even use full word on my texts though I hate using text and try to avoid it.
Will
I have read and reread your original post.
I can't see anything that should cause offence at all.
I am of the same opinion.
If the meaning is clear, spelling and punctuation are unimportant.
It is pure laziness in speech and typing that I dislike.
So Will - av u chkd ur pm bx l8tly?
Alex x
Anyone remember Postie's challenge to me?
I lost - people took the piss. Did I mind? Not at all, and I was so careful when I was typing :shock:
I've read through this thread once again and like Will am troubled with the direction it's taking. It may have been my post in LMU that sparked it in the first place and I hate to think I'd upset anyone inadvertantly.
My post in LMU corrected the grammar of a person who was complaining that there were no genuine people here, that he'd been here a few months and still 'wasn't getting any', his profile didn't make much sense and his post had had little time taken over it. It was the attitude of 'I'm not going to put anything in but expect lots in return' which annoyed me.
We all make mistakein spelling and grammar, my spelling is quite bad and I get frustrated when I'm considered stupid because of it. It's not really the spelling or the grammar on its own, it's that very often you can tell that very little effort has gone in to it and the attitude behind it is one of 'can't be bothered'.
This is an open forum, attracting people from all walks of life and background, yes there are people like Will who are articulate, yes there are those of us who aren't so - me included. But generally the content of the forum is positive and interesting, regardless of correct use of spelling or grammar.
H.x
Thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to say but couln't quite manage it.
H.x
Let's not forget that Seren's question was "do you find bad grammar a turn off?"
that's the joy of thread evolution i guess.
Les you've made some good points.
If people struggle with spelling, even if they use a spell checker it's not going to correct a "they're" "there" "their" error.
I think there have been some valid points made in this thread, but there is a difference between laziness and the other issues.
If I receive a badly written pm, or see a post in the forum, I don't bother about the spelling - it's the sentiment that counts.
Sometimes it's obvious if someone has difficulties or if English isn't their first language and we need to be mindful of this.
However text speak I do find lazy and it's difficult to read and lazy pms where they say "Like your ad" and I don't even have one - well that just gets deleted because I don't think there's a genuine explanation for that.
Language tends to be what works in the here and now and usually for a social group who have the same grasp of the tools of the language. So when a novel comes out it becomes popular because it has been written and edited in the moset accessible style for that generation.
Is it easy to read Chaucer? Not for many on the first run. In fact for me text is about as easy as Chaucer. Even some Victorian works are pretty hard to follow.
I don't struggle with something that requires more effort than its worth. So if I see a poorly written script I scan it for relevant words and just accept that its more or less what the writer wants me to understand.
English (sorry SS) is the most expressive language in the world, having imported more word and concepts that another in to it. English then changed form in the Yorkshire and Lancashire fairs. It adopted a new set of grammar, diverging from the Germanic family of languages. English relies on grammar more than other Germanic languages. Then it absolved more word. The spelling of words having been frozen while the pronunciation has changed, one reason for bad spelling. Look at New Zealand, who are now making the vowel change England made 100 years ago.
Getting back to the question Grammar is important, bad grammar changes the meaning of the simplest statement. Do I make mistakes? Yes, I hope not to many and my that meaning remains.
Even if we get the grammar right it is possible that someone thinking along a different line will completely misread it and get the wrong message. What a poor tool language is?
- I thought we we talking about pure drivel/shite in replies, with text speak, no punctuation and no thought put into replies / initial contact?
<-- Frustration!