Corrupt Communicationa: the downfall of English

[VHunter]

How ironic that upon opening the local High School newspaper, that I should fall upon this article (as read in the subject title of this thread). I have reproduced bits and pieces of it for you below.

PLEASE keep in mind as you read it, that it was written by a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT and not by an adult.

Editorial / Corrupt communication: the downfall of English

Thier are alot of people that make so much mistakes in they're writing its really hard too read. Lucky the vision editers dont let us rite like that or you mite never understand what we tryed to say about stuff.
Granted, the above is an exaggeration - a combination of poor spelling, non-existent punctuation, and incorrect but commonly used terms (such as the popular "alot") that would have the likes of Wordsworth and Poe spinning in their graves. Howqever, it does not stray far from the reality faced by the English-speaking community today: people both young and old are no longer expected to master their language. Those who do attempt to conform to traditional rules regarding grammar and spelling are labelled with such derogatory terms as "Grammar Police". It is as if wanting to speak and write correctly is some sort of shortcoming. Worst of all, young people are not the only guilty parties when it comes to the massacre of the English language. Adults are just as responsible, and it shows.

[She then goes on to discuss current teaching trends in schools, government produced curriculums, and language issues within our province. I've removed that portion.]

At school and in the workplace, any above-average use of the English language garners confused looks and necessitates a divergence from more important topics in order to explain a word or expression as the average vocabulary shrinks and shrinks. Some new parents, who were themselves allowed to venture out into the world with only a basic understanding of language, are not interested in reading with their children, preferring to set them in front of the television or computer instead, and the cycle begins again.

Of course, no one expects the general population to remember what a gerund is, or to know when to properly use an interrobang. it is a given that not everyone aspires to major in English, and it is clear that we will not soon return to the time of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, when long disussions were held on the subject of the proper use of language. This is to be expect - not everyone is fascinate by the minute details of English, and that is perfectly fine. However, the lack of interest in even the most basic rules of our language has reached a level of deterioration that is truly alarming. Whatever the causes, whoever the culprits, English is slowly descending from the refined language of the great poets to a sort of jumbled gibberish.

[She then continues with fun suggestions of how to improve your own grasp of the English language].


NOW isn't that an interesting perspective? Please remember, the author is a HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT...

What are your thoughts?

 

[Susie H]

Please pass on to the author a round of applause from me, I'm proud to be thought a member of the grammar police, with students like her prepared to study and stand up for our language, I can keep depression from claiming me.
Whilst many good parents with poor education may take offence at her article, I would point out that the good parents what their children to be better educated then they were and for me personally I think it's important that the next generation continue to be aware of the difference in the usage of common words such as 'who' and 'whom'.
We have one of the richest and most diverse languages on the planet, something I feel we should be proud of.

 

[dandelionpoppy]

In many ways I have sympathy with the writer.
As a teacher of English I have some criticisms.
Almost every piece of writing, with perhaps the exception of a diary, has an intended audience. The audience here would appear to be high school students; I think that perhaps the writer takes too lofty a tone, (although, to be fair, we are told that the piece develops a more light-hearted approach), and that the average reader would not be engaged by it.
The second paragraph is convoluted and over-wordy.
The third laments, as throughout the article, the changes in English since the Victorian era. I think this misses one of the most exciting aspects of our language; it is a living, vibrant, ever-changing creature with a life of its own! Our greatest ever writer, Shakespeare, did not shrink from using contemporary phrases and actually introduced many new words. Would the writer have approved?
Overall, if the intention of the writer was to persuade the readers to re-examine their standards then I think it would, in the main, fail.
A grade of C+.

 

[jacquelineanna]

I too lament the deterioration of the written and spoken English language.

It limts people in their ability to express themselves and portray the person within.

Rightly or wrongly we know that people will judge us within the first five minutes of meeting us, from how we dress and how we look to what we say and how we say it (or how we've written something).

Probably in 10 or 20 years people will be enrolling in night classes in a bid to speak the language as we knew it 10 years ago ... you know, 'in the olden days' lol.

Shame.

Jacqui xx

 

[VHunter]

In many ways I have sympathy with the writer.
As a teacher of English I have some criticisms.
Almost every piece of writing, with perhaps the exception of a diary, has an intended audience. The audience here would appear to be high school students; I think that perhaps the writer takes too lofty a tone, (although, to be fair, we are told that the piece develops a more light-hearted approach), and that the average reader would not be engaged by it.
The second paragraph is convoluted and over-wordy.
The third laments, as throughout the article, the changes in English since the Victorian era. I think this misses one of the most exciting aspects of our language; it is a living, vibrant, ever-changing creature with a life of its own! Our greatest ever writer, Shakespeare, did not shrink from using contemporary phrases and actually introduced many new words. Would the writer have approved?
Overall, if the intention of the writer was to persuade the readers to re-examine their standards then I think it would, in the main, fail.
A grade of C+.

I feel that you have grossly missed the point; that being the deterioration of the English language and the average person's grasp of it. WHICH we witness on a daily basis on these forums.
I think she passed. She proved her point eloquently, to my way of thinking. (do keep in mind, I edited a great deal because I didn't feel I needed to type the entire article to get my point across)

I welcome evolution, in language as well. BUT not at the price of sounding OR 'being' ignorant. I'm one of those referred to as the 'grammar police'. I've been accused of being snobby or arrogant simply because of my way of speaking and/or writing. While my father encouraged my strengths, I was made fun of in school. People SHOULD take PRIDE in their ability to speak and write properly.
THAT is the point of the article.

I too lament the deterioration of the written and spoken English language.

It limts people in their ability to express themselves and portray the person within.

Rightly or wrongly we know that people will judge us within the first five minutes of meeting us, from how we dress and how we look to what we say and how we say it (or how we've written something).

Probably in 10 or 20 years people will be enrolling in night classes in a bid to speak the language as we knew it 10 years ago ... you know, 'in the olden days' lol.

Shame.

Jacqui xx

Exactly! Also, by limiting our vocabulary, and by becoming lazy with regards to grammar and such; we limit our ability to convey a message accurately.

 

[dandelionpoppy]

A good discussion!
My point is that we should choose our writing genre to suit the purpose and audience. This links with your point that incorrect grammar, paucity of language and poor expression are all causes of communication difficulties. I agree with this - but the same is true of incorrect tone, over-verbosity and so on.
I don't think I missed the point; I merely widened the debate.
I understand, and did acknowledge, that we didn't read the whole article.

 

[Susie H]

In many ways I have sympathy with the writer.
As a teacher of English I have some criticisms.
Almost every piece of writing, with perhaps the exception of a diary, has an intended audience. The audience here would appear to be high school students; I think that perhaps the writer takes too lofty a tone, (although, to be fair, we are told that the piece develops a more light-hearted approach), and that the average reader would not be engaged by it.
The second paragraph is convoluted and over-wordy.
The third laments, as throughout the article, the changes in English since the Victorian era. I think this misses one of the most exciting aspects of our language; it is a living, vibrant, ever-changing creature with a life of its own! Our greatest ever writer, Shakespeare, did not shrink from using contemporary phrases and actually introduced many new words. Would the writer have approved?
Overall, if the intention of the writer was to persuade the readers to re-examine their standards then I think it would, in the main, fail.
A grade of C+.

Perhaps she would fail but I personally have lost count of the times I have started to read a thread that is full of ave, u, etc. I quickly loose patience; spelling mistakes? No I'm not going to start on those, with out my trusty spell checker I'm in a deep hole with no way out, but basic grammar is a completely different ball game. I have spent many years living in countries where English is a subject taught in school and I hang my head in shame to think of all the eleven year old children who read, write and speak my first language better then most English born sixteen year olds.
Slang or dialect does in my view have a place in our language, in any language, it's part of it's charm and its growth, but a good standard is what allows us to communicate with the world, we may no longer be an empire but it is still the most commonly taught language in schools across the world.
One of my daughters ex boyfriends once said to me he wished he had the imagination to read a book.
To this day I don't understand how a young man can go through our school system and come out at the end with twelve GCSE's of grade C and above and yet be unable to loose himself in a book, to just see words on a page.
I fear that in successive governments zeal to standardise education across the country, our teachers have been forced to teach children how to pass exams rather then teach children to understand subjects.
I was taught first principals and find that most young people I talk to don't even know what those are.
But my children who were mostly schooled in other countries do

 

[dandelionpoppy]

Susie H, you make some good points and in particular the one about reading. I can't imagine a world without books.........