posted
I accept the idea that email, IM and forum postings are not really subject to the same strict grammar/punctuation codes as other forms of written communication.
However, sometimes I just can't help myself. I snort behind my hand, and secretly think others foolish. As a matter of fact, I'd be willing to bet there are a few others here who share this character flaw.
Let me give you some examples:
A fellow Ron worked with was up for a Sales position within the same company. It would mean a lot more money for him as well as a relocation package. Trying to be a go-getter, he sent his potential new boss an email, and showed it to Ron after it was sent. In it, the poor sap spelled "sales" as "sells" as in "sellsman" and "I look forward to working with you in Sells." *facepalm* He didn't get the job, and since Ron hadn't seen the email until after the poor guy had already sent it, he didn't correct him.
Why didn't he have someone look it over before he sent it? Because most people have no idea how illiterate they actually are. I include myself in this - always, always, for the love of God, get somebody to proofread your important crap. Before you send it.
Recently -- this is the one I feel really bad about -- I have noticed some troubles with emails sent by the room mother for one of my sons' classes. I feel bad about it because I know Room Mother is a crap job. It sucks to have to beg everybody to volunteer and stuff. She goes above and beyond the call of duty, too. She forwards the occassional Amber Alert and the like, which I think is neat. It also shows her to be a civic-minded and caring individual.
But, I HATE ALL CAPS!!! AND MULTIPLE!!!! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!! THANK YOU ALLL SO MUCH FOR MAKING THE PARTY A HUGH SUCCESS!!!!
Yeah, she also spells "huge" H U G H. At first, I thought it was just a random typo, and who really cares if there are a few typos in a hastily-written email? But the HUGHs kept coming. Nothing is ever "big" it's "HUGH!!!"
*bangs head*
Recently, she sent out an email listing what was needed for the Thanksgiving Party. A short time later, she sent another one, saying, "THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE HUGH RESPONSE!!! Now all we like are doughnuts." It's common enough in the South for people to pronounce the words "like" and "lack" exactly the same, admittedly. I'm not accustomed to seeing it in print, though.
This is where I switched over from giggling to being truly mortified on her behalf. All we like are doughnuts, indeed. I recognized in her a fellow escapee from "Hickville USA" and I could no longer scoff. "These suburban women will eat her alive," I realized.
Then I got a call from her because her child (named after a non-commercial airplane) was coming to a party for my son. After a brief conversation, I found out her mother had died in the summer (she was only in her 50s) and the poor lady still misses talking to her about their favorite soap operas. *bites lip* I gave her what comfort I could manage, having known first-hand that it helps so much more when coming from someone who has known that kind of loss. Even if you don't really speak the same language.
So, Come Gawk At Olivet!!! The AMAZING Human Slug!!!! She's HUGH!!!!
(But feels very, very small.)
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Olivet - once I read your explanation of "Now all we like are doughnuts," my internal voice went all southern on me in a way it hasn't since I moved out of Southwest Virginia.
posted
I think we may be a bit spoiled here at Hatrack, at least in terms of the grammar/punctuation-in-online-media issue. But then again, we are the ones who set the standard and enforce it.
Of course, this means we don't get quite so many of those happy accidents, like that untentional yet valid and truthful comment about liking doughnuts. Posts: 270 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Risuena - where in Southwest Virginia? I used to work for the government in Bristol, VA, which is about as far south and west as you can go and still be in Virginia. I found the accent tnere to be softer and more pleasing than the extreme NorthEast TN twang, though they havve some similarities.
mack:
And, my point was kind of that it is less than kind to make fun of people for stupid stuff like that, and I want to be a better person. I also really do like doughnuts.
posted
I know what you mean Olivet. Usually my internal snarky self kicks in immediately (like people on freecycle that would like to come get the cloths I have to offer - cloths? I don't remember offering cloths? Clothes though, I have some of those). Not being in the south, I had to read that line about the donuts about a million times before I could understand what on earth she was talking about.
After I recover from my case of spelling superiority, I feel bad, especially since there really isn't a good way to help them. With friends you can usually correct their grammar or spelling without much of a problem, but with aquaintences or random strangers there's no way to help them without seeming rude and giving offense.
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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Olivet - I went to school at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. If I remember correctly, that's about an hour from Bristol. Of course, the majority of people I knew in the Burg were from the DC area, but the townies definitely had an accent and if you went into the surrounding areas... Let's just say, it wasn't always understandable.
Being a native Marylander, it took me about three years to find my inner southerner and accept that I'd picked up a bit of an accent and that saying "y'all" was not a bad thing.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Jan 2002
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The sell/sale mixup is rampant in Utah too, Olivet. You'll see signs all the time saying, "Car for Sell" or "Must Sale Immediately!" And the quotation marks thing . . . I have no idea about that. It's just bizarre.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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It's a general lack (like? ) of understanding about what quotation marks are for. I think some people are genuinely baffled by the vast array of punctuation options, and so, like using a hammer will pretty much solve all hardware problems, use them with enthusiasm if not finesse. (!!!!!)
I love that book Eats Shoots and Leaves, where this is discussed for entire chapters.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Ophelia: What really bothers me is bizarre punctuation in signs. Last night we drove by a church that had the following sign:
quote: DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING "GOD"
Even forgetting the lack of a question mark, why, why, why was "God" in quotation marks?
I read that as, "Do you know where you are going, 'God?'"
posted
Years ago when my father was an elementary school teacher, he had a principal who couldn't spell and would send out embarrassing memos. Since he usually got to school earlier than the other teachers, on more than one occasion he caught a typo before it got distributed to all the parents.
One of the ones that makes me cringe is the use of the apostrophe to indicate a plural: We have car's for sell. But the honest truth is, my fingers just betray me and I do it myself when I'm not thinking, especially when it's a proper name: We've invited the Brown's over for dinner. I know better. But the fingers are evil. They also betray me when typing homonyms: I no better than to spell like this. Yes, we have know bananas.
I guess it keeps me humble. And I try to keep my grammar Nazi tendencies secret unless I'm getting paid to exhibit them!
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
My grammar Nazi tendencies come out from time to time. I'm unapologetic, though, when I see errors like that in commercial print (like advertising and such) and I especially get a kick out of it when those types of mistakes are made on the radio or TV.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
I usually try to keep mum about it, unless I'm being paid. I guess it's true, though, that many people are baffled by punctuation.
Mistakes like that in print do annoy me, though.
Sometimes it really helps. I remember being nervous about touring UVA (I thought of going to grad school there before I started getting good job offers). Ron pointed to a notice on bulletin board that said "Prosceptive Students should call _______ for information." This was specific to their English proogram, BTW.
After reading that, I was not only much less nervous about touring campus, but also much less interested in applying. *shrug* Guess I took it as a sign. Didn't have enough black in my wardrobe, anyway.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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My husband's grandfather wrote a book about the Dallas Temple and had it privately published for use within the stake and family.
My husband's aunt was apparently in charge of "editing".
Let me just say that if that is what it looks like "edited", I do not ever want to see the original manuscript.
(Let me also say that I would NEVER ask that woman to edit anything of mine, having seen her family newsletter-- and that newsletter is done with the aid of a word processing program that has spelling and grammar check! )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Ophelia: What really bothers me is bizarre punctuation in signs. Last night we drove by a church that had the following sign:
quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING "GOD" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Even forgetting the lack of a question mark, why, why, why was "God" in quotation marks? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm pretty sure that it's meant to mock the Cingular commercial.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Oct 2005
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quote: Not being in the south, I had to read that line about the donuts about a million times before I could understand what on earth she was talking about.
I still have no idea what it's all about. Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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Oh, sorry... I thought there was something different about the pronuciation of doughnuts... the sentence made no sense anyway. Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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She meant "Of all the things I needed for the party, all we lack are the doughnuts." Because people say "lack" and "like" exactly the same way in some places, she just put in the wrong word.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I get what you're saying. I'm on a yahoo loss group, and some days I think I'm the only person on it who took English classes. There is one woman who TYPES EVRYTHING IN BIG BLUE CAPS. I feel terrible for being judgemental, given the purpose of the group, but I bet most of them have always had bad grammar.
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Oh, I know. It's just so annoying. For every double-letter that slips through I had to go back and edit three. It's mostly in the upper part of the right hand and lower part of the left hand. I don't know how to clean it.
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
What is really scary is the homeschooling forum at Mothering. I actually copy and paste some of the posts into Word and have my 8 year old correct them as a grammar exercise. (Note: I would never do that on a private forum) (Another note: I do not repost his corrected posts).
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Right now they have Robert doing a lot of proof-reading in Grammar. It's fun, though I have to remind myself not to be too picky with him. Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Jim-Me, who were you there? I was mom2godzillas, but am now lying low under a pseudonym. (Let's just say I got on Cynthia Mosher's bad side. )
Posts: 2711 | Registered: Mar 2004
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When I read that, do you know what I pictured? That episode of Friends where Joey can't figure out how to use the "quotation fingers" thing correctly. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Worrying about punctuation is small work for small people. I think it actually goes with the people who obsess over perfect pitch. Good grammar is nice and should be encouraged, even expected at some level, but if you severely attach punctuation to the quality of someone's character, then I think its a flaw in your own character.
Writing and speaking fluently has come slowly to me. Maybe I'm dyslexic. I don't know, and I'm not sure it's important. I do know that any gains I've made with respect to pure syntax have not made me a better person, only a more acceptable and fashionable writer. The clarity of thought that inspires the words is what I'd judge, and the placement of a comma or semicolon is always, always secondary.
Grammar Nazies have very little to be proud of. Actually, they have good grammar to be proud of, and I think that's kind of sad.
To be clear, it is not at all virtuous to wantonly disregard grammar; to an extent, it's disrespectful to your audience. But to fetishize grammar seems even worse, or shows that we have lost our way. That said, the fable is perfect.
The woman cares more about her mother than the difference between like and lack, and I'm happy to hear it.
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I found the accent tnere to be softer and more pleasing than the extreme NorthEast TN twang, though they havve some similarities.![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
They also betray me when typing homonyms: I no better than to spell like this. Yes, we have know bananas.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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