Dear People of the World,
I don't mean to sound slutty, but PLEASE use me whenever you want.
Sincerely,
Grammar
7
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
5 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.In 1702, a Virginian was visiting a London shop. The shopkeeper said to him "By your accent, I can tell you come from one of the colonies!". The Virginian nodded, and told the shopkeeper where he was from. I found this interesting because this was less than five generations after the founding of Jamestown. And already, a peculiarly colonial accent had emerged. It got me wondering how, supposing the Chinese are the first to establish a Martian colony, how long it would take for a peculiarly 'Martian'-sounding dialect of Mandarin Chinese to evolve?
davknight
Level 8
May 23, 2019
0
Do other languages have the same grammer issues as English?
Al-Bundy_59
Level 6
May 23, 2019
1
You have to remember that my (virtually perfect) grammar, is likely to be slightly different than most people here. I am British, the use of some words have a slightly different meaning than in USA. What I think is that you should all accept that I am correct, you are in error. I am however, I am willing to share and teach you all how to write grammatically correct English.
Amisja
Level 8
May 23, 2019
0
No one likes being corrected and having some pompous ass pointing out how their words could have been arranged better. There are very few people who can claim to have perfect grammar.
However, there are things I have to read 5 times, not before I understand them, but before I give up trying to. The use of proper grammar isn't solely for the purpose of appearing "smart" or "educated." It is required, to some extent, in order to be understood.
The "no one has perfect grammar" argument is not helpful, as nothing is perfect. One can say "No one is always perfectly reasonable at all times, so why should reason matter?"
If things aren't spoken or written properly, to the extent that they can be understood, that suggests to me that clear communication isn't important. It also suggests one doesn't give a crap that the reader must do additional work to understand what's being written.
*Surprised me is above if grammar is perfect. But clear to is message that I say for points sake.
??
Athena
Level 8
May 23, 2019
2
Word. Poor grammar is an indicator of poor thinking.
You're right. Seeking clarification is the best move and I do so often when speaking with others. It just depends on whether it's worth it. I often see posts here that I don't understand at all. In that case, I just move on.
Wy evrybody izis soe botherd bi grammer an speling, aniy waye, iz itt a krime ore somthine too spel a werd rong ore yse gramer rong? Ef yew kan maik itt fonetic r sae it enuf tew undarstande, itt iz phine witt mee. Jist kawse yew kin uze a spel cheker r gramer cheker doze not meen yer a jenius.
THHA
Level 7
May 22, 2019
3
THHA:
That "grammar" exists is many different languages, and of the Americans who complain about the use of bad grammar, I wonder how many of them have perfect grammar in at least one other language . . . . Culture-centricity is another form of narrow-mindedness, if you ask me. But most have not bothered to allow that thought to run through their mind. When I speak to my Russian friends, I do not have them constantly correcting my grammar, when I speak to my Spanish friends, I do not constantly have them correcting my grammar . . . only in America do we seem to have that language-centric culture-centric bias.
@THHA i am dyslexic and hate being corrected
You always make yourself clear. I've never had to read anything you've written twice to understand it.
Some people write without taking the time to make their messages clear. Then the reader has to do the work to decipher what's being written in order to avoid a misunderstanding.
@THHA
Grammar is important to the extent that one is clearly understood. Perfection is not the goal and it doesn't exist anywhere.
It does matter to those of us who prefer information to be exchanged clearly.
You can communicate effectively. If you found yourself always having to second guess what someone meant, or having to correct someone's spelling for work related purposes, you might find it exhausting.
Have you ever read a post on this site that was so unclear you just had to ignore it?
@Athena thank you I say what I think xx
THHA:
Most of the things I read I make mental note of the fact that I may misinterpret it, because there is far more to it than just grammar, miscommunication is prevalent. Every word each of us use is a potential misunderstanding . . . . for example, without looking at a dictionary, how would you define "prevalent"? Now think about how someone else might define "prevalent", or maybe an even more abstract word . . . . well, each word has that potential, the potential that we may each have different ideas of what it means, what its definition is, what emotional content we attach to it, and what in means in context with other words. It is easy to adopt the notion that we "understand" each other, but in fact, it is a joke to think it is possible to do so to a great deal of certainty, unless you are talking about mathematics or formal logic, and even that is questionable at times. Grammar is a drop in the bucket when it comes to "understanding" what is said, put in that context.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.