Advanced Spelling Lesson

itsthehumidity wrote: »

chunky_pinup wrote: »

itsthehumidity wrote: »

My friend, I never said anybody should be barred from anything, nor did I imply it. I didn't even ask anyone to stop making errors, and I certainly don't expect to stop seeing them. I didn't make any assertions about anybody's intelligence, background, culture, anything! I did say that you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you master these basics, and I think that's true. I see evidence of that everywhere I look. Do you disagree?

I absolutely disagree. Spending 40-60 hours a week working with some of the top surgeons in the US means that I am spending a large part of my week with men and women who are taken very seriously, respected and admired. I also spend a lot of time reading their notes, transcriptions, dictations, etc., for legal purposes, and many have spelling and grammar that really is atrocious. Are they taken less seriously? Absolutely not.

I welcome differences in opinion, and I respect yours. Personally, I want my doctor to be able to spell. I also asked a physician I know if he feels people care whether or not doctors use proper spelling/grammar. His response was that "it matters to people who know better."

I work with a lot of talented people who sometimes deviate from standard English usage. For some of them, English is one of several languages they know. I have nothing but respect for them and their abilities. Their ability to write and speak exactly as I would is irrelevant to their ability to do the job for which they are hired. I would say it's also pretty meaningless when it comes to asking/answering questions on a weight loss and fitness forum.

I would never reject someone's solution to a technical defect because of homonyms. Would I hire them as a copy editor (for English)? No. But it doesn't tell me anything about their talent in another area.

I am also someone who is irritated by poor grammar and spelling, but you really just have to let it go. You're fighting a losing battle. There is also this, which no one has mentioned yet (or possibly I missed it), so I will: some people have learning disabilities. My son is 16 and I have been struggling for 10 years to teach him proper grammar, punctuation and spelling because it's something I value. He speaks very well, but when it comes to writing, there is a serious disconnect that is really not his fault.

Some people speak English as a second language
Some people have learning disabilities or other brain issues that prevent them from recalling this type of learning.
Some people honestly just don't know and don't care
Some people don't know, but may have struggled with learning their entire life and have very low confidence in this area, and will feel bad about having this sort of thing pointed out.
Some people know, but really just don't care because it's a casual environment and they assume no one is judging them.

Let it go, and accept that no matter how much it irks you, there's no changing it! There are more important qualities for people to possess when you look at the big picture.

How much can I love this thread? A lot! I make mistakes like any human. I understand that on websites we improperly use language to convey our style and current emotions, but common mistakes such as these have gotten out of hand. Our style, the use of slang, has really ruined a lot of people's ability to write and even speak in a professional or non casual setting. I'm all for using your own style but some people's post you can tell they really just don't know. I think it is brand new information to some or it's lodged deep in the caverns of their brain, forgotten. And yes, slang applies here because I've seen how slang has ruined my own knowledge of the English language and have found myself making simple mistakes. Now, let's have everyone rip me apart on my grammar and apostrophes.

Hey I'm from Oklahoma. We have our own rules for grammar so yall back off.

So does this mean that I have to also start using caps and apostrophes now on MFP?

Cblsplcr wrote: »

Hey I'm from Oklahoma. We have our own rules for grammar so yall back off.

Hey, don't paint all of us Oklahomans in that light. Some of us are very edumucated.

After reading these posts I have to ask myself if there is a correlation between poor grammar and a lack of knowledge of good nutrition. Maybe I'm reaching too far. I think (just my opinion) that both have become less important in our society. Perhaps it is a regional phenomena. I never could figure out how to spell "yall." Is there an apostrophe in there somewhere?

itsthehumidity wrote: »

kgeyser wrote: »

itsthehumidity wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

https://paintingthegreyarea.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/literacy-privilege/

I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:

So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.

Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.

So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.

I'm curious as to which version of "English" you are determining to be the appropriate one in an international community of users, and how you went about determining that as the standard for all to follow in said community.

Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.

To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.

I really dislike getting drawn into this kind of thread. Let's face it, language is different for all sorts of reasons including, education, phonics, location, colloquialism, slang and a number of other reasons.

However, and at the risk of starting World War 3, the clue should be in the name. It is "English" as spoken in England, not "American English" as spoken in America, or "Australian English" as spoken in Australia. So, if the OP is that much of a "Grammar Nazi" they ought to be using "English resources such as dictionary and thesaurus; it would ensure that all those missing vowels find their proper home to start with.

So, before I back off out of this, why not just live and let live? Life is too short to be picking up on every little word that an individual may think is "wrong". Just go out there, lose weight, reshape your body and use MFP for its original purpose.

kgeyser wrote: »

itsthehumidity wrote: »

diannethegeek wrote: »

https://paintingthegreyarea.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/literacy-privilege/

I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:

So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.

Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.

So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.

I'm curious as to which version of "English" you are determining to be the appropriate one in an international community of users, and how you went about determining that as the standard for all to follow in said community.

He's not complaining about issues like color vs colour, center vs centre, etc., IOW, differences between American English and British English. 'Loose' never means 'lose' in any version of English.

kshama2001 wrote: »

kkenseth wrote: »

peppermintpudgy wrote: »

So much racism in this thread and in the several recent threads mocking threads started by people of color and non-native English speakers. It's pretty gross. Peppermint out.

While there are a lot of offensive things around, I don't see this as racist or mocking non native English speakers. There is usually a very clear distinction between someone who is ESL and someone who is just too lazy to type a full sentence or use check their spelling before they post. A lot of the parody threads, in their defense, are a parody of a ridiculous idea, such as trying to hook up with a certain group of people in the forums. It's not mocking anything about the person other than them coming onto a fitness site and looking for hookups with a certain group of people.

Then again, that's just my opinion.

Half of my coworkers are ESL and don't make the mistakes I commonly see on internet forums. On another forum, I knew the members better and again it was not ESL (or learning disabled) people making these mistakes. My experience is that ESL people put a lot more effort into their communication than many native English speakers.

Agreed. It's rather easy to tell the difference between a language difference and just plain laziness and stupidity.