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Hermione J Weasley - SPEW
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 Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 6:03 pm
I believe it has to do with schooling. I remember in elementary school they taught us to 'sound spell.' In my school, I'm one of maybe 15 girls in the 8th grade that knows how to read, write, spell, and use grammar correctly.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:29 am
I think that part of it is attributed to schooling and part of it to technology and media. It's a whole combination of things. I'm very lucky to be able to attend a good school, but I know that in many places the schools aren't focusing enough on education. Even mine, partially. Instead of knowing the subject like you needed years ago, many teachers often give points just for trying.
It teaches kids laziness; as long as they look like they're trying, they don't need to make an effort and they don't apply it outside of school. Some go so far that they turn in school papers with lazy grammar 'you' isn't typed correctly, or 'i' isn't capitalized, and it doesn't seemed stressed enough that they need to do it correctly. (Though I know that my AP English teacher would rip the head off of anyone who even tried to turn in an assignment with such horrific grammar.)
Teachers are too preoccupied with students liking them. It's horrible to try and teach a class of students, but what if you don't learn at all? That isn't effective.
The next part is technology and media.
So many children's shows and cartoons portray education in such a horrible way. Now, more than ever children don't listen to their school teachers. "Why do we have to do this homework?" "Come on, a test?" "Why can't you give us all extra credit?" Like so many shows, they're looking for the easy way out of a class.
Cell phones especially attribute to it. I'm not a fan of text messaging. It's painful having to press one button up to three times just to get the letter I want. If I wasn't such an advocate for grammar, I would be using chatspeak, too. After that, they transfer it to the internet, because since I doubt that many students take keyboarding classes anymore, they find it a lot easier to type shorter words.
I took a keyboarding class. I can type full words once I think of them without trouble. Maybe this is the reason why people try and type shorter words without capitals.
It's also just, on the large scale, laziness. People don't want to take five more seconds of their valuable time to capitalize their i's and write full words.
Now, some I can understand. I look past 'lol' as just something that has evolved. It's almost a more natural response. Since it's hard to convey your tone across the internet, that's one way. However, words like 'plz' 'u' and 'thanx' are just trademark laziness.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:52 pm
This is just a generalization, there are always exceptions to every rule and theory. I personally believe that the problem with literacy in America is Laziness. Parents are too lazy to teach their kids proper grammar, Kids are too lazy to learn it, therefore, when kids become parents they don't teach and the cycle continues. This is so unless the child takes the initiative to learn it themselves and since the school system varies from county to county no child is really getting a quality education, nor are the schools emphasizing the importance of quality grammar in work. This is the way it is in my state, it is all about the state testing and not about education.
Other things can factor in making the situation worse in some situations. TV and Peers can effect the outcome of a good grammar (and other English subjects) education by setting a bad example or telling youths that it is O.K. to say things or write things this way because of (insert stupid reason here). Computers are no so much the problem but the sites the individual goes to that encourages bad grammar by creating another "language" in which is spoken in the chat rooms. Genetics I don't believe are so much the problem as to the fact that parents are the first contact of the education and it is the parents responsibility to ensure their child's education is quality and fill in the gaps that the schools leave out.
This is just my two cents. I have in the past used "txt tlk" or 733T Speak as a joke but never when I am trying to hold down an intelligent conversation.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:37 pm
Well, I'm sure there are many reasons for this decline. I've noticed that the television shows children watch today vs. the television shows I watched while growing up seem to be dumbed down. The words are never too big, and the characters are cute and full of slap-stick humor. Where's the wittiness?
Texting on the cell phone may have something to do with it. In the search to shorten words, they made abbreviations that would make it easier. It spread to our internet, to our television... So sad. v.v
As for genetics, have any of you seen the movie Idiocracy? If you haven't you simply must go watch. It explains that all the intelligent people are waiting for the right time to have children, while all the stupid people are popping out children like there's no tomorrow. It explains that because there are no natural predators for humans, evolution begins to reward those who reproduce the most.
It might not be genetics though. It might just be stupid parents teaching their children the same stupidity (ex. improper grammar in speech, making the child believe that they must only attend school for the required amount of years before quitting and moving into the work force, that it's okay to pop out 18 children whether one can afford them or not).
Peers are also a large influencing factor. I live in the South, and people often teased me in school for the way I speak (i.e. without an accent and with good grammar). I chose to be the bigger person and ignore them. I knew I was in the right... but other children might not know. They might fall for the peer pressure and horrible teasing and end up having bad grammar in their speech for the rest of their lives.
Laziness is a huge factor. Children just don't feel like trying in school, so they don't. Grown adults don't like taking the time to enunciate, so they simply don't! And who in their right mind would ever take the time to type out their words, to actually press all the buttons on the phone that it takes to spell something!?
Grr... now I'm all in a grammar tizzy... >.>;
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:05 pm
I blame the idea of "literacy is 'uncool,'" which is a mix of laziness and the media. Anyone who dares to use complex words or correct spelling and grammar online will be labeled "NERD." However, I was actually converted into literacy because the second online forum I've joined believes that illiteracy is "uncool." I'm so accustomed to typing in normal English that I cannot go back to chatspeak.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:03 pm
I totally agree. Thus, this guild is created. A safe haven for all grammar nerds.
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 6:20 am
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:34 pm
I haven't watched the television for about two years now, so I wouldn't be about to gauge the effect of television on the tiny minds of bitty children. I do, however, think it's a effect of peers. I remember and still have the AIM logs of when I used text talk, and now I can't bear to open them up. Generically, however, due to an analysis of my behavior, it seems as if I used text talk around people who use text talk, and I used proper English to those who used their intellect before I managed to grasp the fact that text talk is not "cool". To further this study, I have successfully changed people from writing in text talk to proper English. Sure, some people got pissy at me when I corrected them, but that was only a few, and it doesn't really matter, everyone that knows me personally knows that I'm a great big honking snob.
* Yes, I'm back, just checking up on how things are running here. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a old moderator who's just checking up on his old guild. I quit Gaia a while back (I think about a year ago, since beta started), donated all my valuables, hence my conspicuous lack of clothes. I won't hardcore Gaia like I did in my youth, but I will be popping up every once in a while.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:14 pm
Mione_Bells13 I believe it has to do with schooling. I remember in elementary school they taught us to 'sound spell.' In my school, I'm one of maybe 15 girls in the 8th grade that knows how to read, write, spell, and use grammar correctly. I agree. In part, it does have to do with schooling. I remember back when i was in first grade( I'm 18 now and in college), my teacher used to give us 20 words a week, and we'd have to learn how to spell them. It was constant reading and writing after that, and all through high school. I have some cousins who are in middle school and everything is so different now. Teachers are laid back about grammar, writing, and reading. It's unbelievable! They (my cousins) ask me how to spell certain words, that most people should know how to spell, for example, "important" or "together". Honestly! what is going on? I also blame the internet. Since "everybody", (most people i should say) uses text talk, people think it's ok to join the bandwagon and use it too. It's not!! gah! stressed
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:07 pm
I actually read this whole thread while waiting to see if I’d be accepted to the guild. The first one I decided to join even though I’ve been messing around Gaia for quite a while. But anyway. Based on one or two things I’ve heard about the education system today, I would tend to blame that a lot. This is something that struck me from the LJ of a high school teacher I know. Quote: At the middle and high school levels we are allowed to correct grammar and spelling but we are not allowed to deduct points unless: 1. It was specifically stated beforehand that spelling and grammar would count and the assignment is a heavily-weighted grade (ie: major paper; we cannot take points off on homework) 2. It is the skill being assessed (ie: spelling test) As bad as I thought we had it in the high school, it seems that the idiocy of "inventive language" has invaded the elementary and intermediate schools. I learned that our four elementary schools and two intermediate schools do not teach spelling or grammar nor do they correct it!Apparently it was decided by someone high up on the food chain that by teaching a child to correctly formulate a sentence or spell a word properly you might "damage their self esteem or stunt their creativity."Excuse me? I’m not sure how widespread this kind of thinking is, but I can’t understand why anyone would think that was a good idea. What I want to know is what are these kids going to do when they grow up and they need to write resumes in order to get into decent jobs, and they have sentences full of misspelled words and terrible grammar? And how is it going to be good for their self esteem when people who are able to speak and write proper English belittle them for being ignorant? It is possible to be creative and have good grammar at the same time, you know. Look at all the famous authors who have done just that! Finding creative ways to misspell common words does not count.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 4:58 pm
Don't be fooled: it is not limited to the states. Poor language skills and intellectual laziness are a big problem here in Europe, too.
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 3:47 pm
All of the above.
Things like mass media, laziness, poor education, ect. are all to blame.
I mean, How can you not blame all of those people on TV who have horrible grammar (Be it part of the show or just out of habit) and are incredibly illiterate, or people in books and such who's characters have horrible grammar as well.
Laziness is one of the main reasons.
Combined with technology, people are just too lazy to spell things out without using 'txt tlk' and acronyms or abbreviations instead of words.
I talk with a friend on youtube and her messages are barely decipherable because the uses 'txt tlk' all too much. As in, every other word.
My friend does it too, and I do on occasion.
But still, that doesn't mean that it can't be corrected, though it is highly unlikely.
As for poor education, it has become easier to access education in the united states where I live, though I have no idea how the issue is addressed in other countries. There are people who are either not taught proper grammar and literacy or are just too lazy to use it even though they know how.
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:37 pm
Quatrina Apparently it was decided by someone high up on the food chain that by teaching a child to correctly formulate a sentence or spell a word properly you might "damage their self esteem or stunt their creativity."Yeah, but that excuse needs to be put to death anyway. It's not just used with poor teaching these days. Then again, I went to a GATE school, so I'm sort of retarded on "how a normal school functions." sweatdrop
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:56 pm
Is the terrible school system, and lack of literate teachers an option?
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 9:00 pm
The only way I'd blame our literacy problems on genetics is if there were a whole generation of children who were born intellectually disabled. Otherwise, I blame schools, parents and the students themselves. It's the student's job to learn to read and write, the parent's job to make sure that their child is not slacking off and the school is supposed to be the place where students are to be taught and corrected when necessary.
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