Mangling the English Langwich
I blame text. I was going to let the education system off until I saw an article about schools in New Zealand allowing text speak in exams. Given the appalling spelling seen across the web, some of which admittedly can be put down to poor typing skills, things can only get worse. At least when schools tried to make kids write and spell properly we had a chance of understanding the results but now?
When they’re not mangling it then they’re misusing it. I’m never too sure if they think using big words will make them look more intelligent or if they honestly believe they’re using them correctly.
Herewith a recent offering I received by email
Could you make the site automatically exfoliate the data?
I was tempted to reply that I was too busy extrapolating my legs.
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 5:28 am →
Lol, that’s funny. I know my smelling is okay, but I do have tpynig porblems.
Helena Boylen responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 9:29 am →
It’s all very well for you Mike - you don’t have to think carefully about how to spell everyday words like “colour” or “grey” because you spend so much time writing them as “color” and “gray” in stylesheets!
Jaybee responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 10:22 am →
You’re right there. It’s centre that gets me every time. I have to keep double checking it. It comes to something when your own language, mangled by the Americans, doesn’t look right to you any more.
Gui responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 4:07 pm →
Hi Helena, it’s Mango/Gui
I’ve often wondered why in the US people use “ize” instead of “ise” ie. Organize. Also, what is correct? Color or colour? English is my third language so I am constantly learning
Jaybee responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 4:25 pm →
English English it has the u in it. US English it doesn’t. They can’t spell.
ize is also US English we use ise
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 6:58 pm →
Well, fine, it’s pick on the Yanks day I see.
The big question is whether gray/grey is even a color/colour.
Jaybee responds:
Posted: April 4th, 2007 at 11:39 pm →
Pick on the Yanks!!! Never. We love Yanks.
We just couldn’t eat a whole one.
Come to think of it, having seen Helena in action at a recent Microsoft conference, she probably could eat a whole one.
Helena Boylen responds:
Posted: April 5th, 2007 at 12:07 pm →
Hey Mango - I’m not sure about this, I could well be wrong but I think I remember reading that there was a movement to regularise US English in the 19th century to make it “easier” to learn considering the large proportion of non-English speakers then emigrating to the US amongst other reasons.
Jaybee… don’t go telling people that I went to a Microsoft conference. I’ll lose what little credibility I have left. I did spend most of the day either sneering or trying to “liberate” anything that wasn’t tied down - food, drinks, books, software.
I have to say that the low point was queuing up for a free copy of Expressions (to sell on Ebay) only to see Patrick Lauke heading over to me. “What? No, I have no idea what I’m queuing up for…. Expressions you say? Never heard of it!” He didn’t look convinced.
Jaybee responds:
Posted: April 5th, 2007 at 12:29 pm →
I read somewhere, and I don’t know how true it is, that the reason for the differences in UK and US English is that the colonists decided they needed a dictionary and the guy who was tasked with it wasn’t a very good speller so he wrote it as it sounded. Webster then compounded it by doing an official US dictionary and deliberately spelling things differently as he thought our language and spelling was controlled by the aristocracy.
As to my unintentioned slur, I suppose I should clarify that it was a WebDD conference hosted at Microsoft and shhhhhh don’t mention Patrick or we’ll have him on here complaining.
Mike Cherim responds:
Posted: April 7th, 2007 at 4:24 am →
I think we were just in a rebellious mood.