Have you noticed?

[c.cloudwalker]

It seems todays youth, in many ways, is taking longer to mature.

I would be surprised if your parents generation didn't think the same. :lmao:

Overall, true, there is a dumbing down of the population but aren't teachers (and I mean that in the widest sense possible which would of course include parents, medias, body politic, etc) to blame? After all most people don't learn what they are not taught. And most people learn by example. Who do you think their examples are?

The one thing that may have changed (I would have to ask my parents) is that, today, we seem to glorify dumbness. How long before you get the usual "grammar nazi" post?

Of course anyone should know 99% of the difficulty of being a teacher nowadays is getting the students to care enough to open their books. No matter how much they are given in a classroom they'll never learn if they aren't interested in learning.

This is unfortunately only somewhat true. There are bad teachers. There are more and more of them. I have met more than a few teachers who can barely spell.

Anyone watches "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" I love that show. Every time they announce a teacher, I get goosebumps, feeling sorry for them in anticipation as most of them do very poorly. Honestly, I still haven't won the million dollar myself but when I see a teacher sent home at the 2nd or 3rd question, I can only be glad that my kids are long out of school.

But I don't blame good teachers for this situation. I realize that it is not an easy job (not one I would want) and that part of the problem is that we do not to pay teachers enough, make their jobs safe, etc, etc, for those who could be good teachers to be interested.

And as is so often the case, which we could compare to photography, we get what we pay for.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

With all the instant messaging and texting going on these days, kids are in huge trouble when it comes to writing letters to anyone of importance. Instead, it makes them look like an uneducated fool.

Hi Big! Very interesting idea. I've been saying for a few years now that we are going to revive a very old profession from Europe soon. That of public writers.

Public writers, for those who have never heard of it, were better educated people writing those so very important letters to the powers that be in your stead. I could make a very good living today writing those letters, doing simple W-2 tax returns, etc if I wasn't doing it for free as a volunteer.

 

[musicaleCA]

And unfortunately language is very low on the list of skills of interest to most people today.

I honestly find it hard to understand why that is. I mean, learning how to use my language properly is of a great concern to me; if I can't speak and write then how in the world can I expect to communicate effectively? Granted, I ignore a lot of rules for the sake of expediency on forums and the internet; I tend not to use en or em dashes when they are called for, and instead use commas. However, given that most people don't know how to use an en or em dash anyway, I don't feel bad about being lazy.

Thank goodness I had a great English teacher in grades 10 and 12. He got us to really care about learning English correctly, and in grade 12 was he EVER a hard-ass stickler for following the rules. If you messed-up your usage of a semi-colon he'd let you know it, and perhaps even make an (anonymous) example of it for the class. That man is the reason I know how to use a semi-colon at all, let alone en or em dashes, or the proper use of "however" (and my utter disdain for superlatives—wow, I really learned a lot from that guy...).

 

[monkeykoder]

I would be surprised if your parents generation didn't think the same. :lmao:

Overall, true, there is a dumbing down of the population but aren't teachers (and I mean that in the widest sense possible which would of course include parents, medias, body politic, etc) to blame? After all most people don't learn what they are not taught. And most people learn by example. Who do you think their examples are?

The one thing that may have changed (I would have to ask my parents) is that, today, we seem to glorify dumbness. How long before you get the usual "grammar nazi" post?

Of course anyone should know 99% of the difficulty of being a teacher nowadays is getting the students to care enough to open their books. No matter how much they are given in a classroom they'll never learn if they aren't interested in learning.

This is unfortunately only somewhat true. There are bad teachers. There are more and more of them. I have met more than a few teachers who can barely spell.

Anyone watches "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" I love that show. Every time they announce a teacher, I get goosebumps, feeling sorry for them in anticipation as most of them do very poorly. Honestly, I still haven't won the million dollar myself but when I see a teacher sent home at the 2nd or 3rd question, I can only be glad that my kids are long out of school.

But I don't blame good teachers for this situation. I realize that it is not an easy job (not one I would want) and that part of the problem is that we do not to pay teachers enough, make their jobs safe, etc, etc, for those who could be good teachers to be interested.

And as is so often the case, which we could compare to photography, we get what we pay for.

Yeah I know quite a few high school teachers actually the pay isn't all that bad if you factor in the benefits however I've also met quite a few people going to teach elementary school and it was quite scary the difference between them and the high school teachers I've known.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

the pay isn't all that bad if you factor in the benefits

True in some areas. BS in others. What happens when all the teachers move to the decent paying areas? Do you know there are barely any OB/GYNs left in West VA because of the problems they have practicing there? I'll grant you this is a very different subject but the problem is the same. We need to get real.

Personally I see teachers as one of the most important people/profession in society. Which also means that I see the entire educational system as very important. Unfortunately, our government doesn't. Local, state, federal, not much difference.

More and more important as parents themselves have less and less time or interest in dealing with it.

 

[Dmitri]

And again...

"Human languages are usually referred to as natural languages, and the science of studying them falls under the purview of linguistics. Acommon progression for natural languages is that they are considered to be first spoken, then written, and then an understanding and explanation of their grammar is attempted.

Languages live, die, move from place to place, and change with time. Any language that ceases to change or develop is categorized as a dead language. Conversely, any language that is in a continuous state of change is known as a living language or modern language."

Language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What you are witnessing is called linquistic evolution, and is constantly happening. Your parents whined "kids these days", your grandparents whined about "kids these days", etc. all the way back until they were speaking Indo-European, and beyond.

And in case you think that English is static and never changing, here's a bit of Beowulf (in old English, from only about 1000 years ago):
"HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!"


Honestly, your belief that people who don't speak English the way that you do are somehow "dumbed down" really just shows your lack of understanding about how languages evolve.

 

[PhotoXopher]

I call it "IM'Bonics"

 

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

:meh:

 

[PhotoXopher]

What?

That was funny.

Laugh, damnit!

 

[HeY iTs ScOTtY]

i was referring to the original post...sorry for not quoting.

as for your post -

if you read my posts and threads you will realize i am a prime target for this thread :er:. my thought and reason for not capitalizing is i really just don't care about it in a forum setting. whether it makes me look dumb or whatever i don't care. i don't know any of you anyway and you are not going to effect my life in any way. plus i can type faster if i don't capitalize so thats the main reason. i do however spell check most of the time. say what you want and call me what you want but its just a internet forum. if it bothers you that much you have to much time on your hands and you should worry about more important things other than how other people type and spell. :greenpbl:

 

[Jaszek]

I think this will go to the Internet Supreme Court. As a fine they might slow down your internet connection, and give you a sticky keyboard.

 

[olla86]

A sizable percentage of the posters asking questions in the various forums don't type capital letters.

The vast majority of the people that reply to these queries, DO use capital letters.

:scratch::scratch::scratch::scratch::scratch:

Is it a problem? Dont worry! All people are individuality

 

[johngpt]

Cnut cyning gret his arcebiscopas and his leod-biscopas and Þurcyl eorl and ealle his eorlas and ealne his þeodscype, twelfhynde and twyhynde, gehadode and læwede, on Englalande freondlice.

Old English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Great quote Dmitri!

With all the instant messaging and texting going on these days, kids are in huge trouble when it comes to writing letters to anyone of importance. Instead, it makes them look like an uneducated fool.

Until they themselves become the managers doing the hiring, and then the playing field has changed once more!

Dmitri, it was great reading your later post, in which you speak about living versus dead languages. I once viewed with dismay what I perceived to be the dumbing down of our language. I think now you may have the right of it. Our language is evolving. I'll just have to get over it. :mrgreen:

 

[rufus5150]

AT LEAST PEOPLE AREN'T TYPING IN ALL CAPS MUCH ANY MORE.

oh wait. damn.

 

[johngpt]

LOL

oh, damn.