E-mail and proper English

[K9karen]

. It's sad that almost nobody writes real letters anymore.

I do, esp. (kidding ) thank you letters. I refuse to get rid of the IBM electric typewriter from my dad's office, even though it hasn't been used in years.

I guess I'm just an old fart.

[Twisterdog]

What concerns me the most about this topic is not the poorly written email or message board per se, but more so the lack of the ability to perceive the difference between social situations.

If I send a text to my best friend that says, "C U in 5", that's alright. She knows I mean "See you in five minutes", and it is very informal.

However, I am not only capable of conversing in proper English, but I know when it is only appropriate to do so. I have a firm grasp of the informality vs. formality of various situations.

I honestly don't think a lot of people do, and that's rather frightening.

I have friends who are teachers who say high school students turn in paper in English class with LOL speak freely interspersed, and can't understand why they lost points. Seriously? Sadly, yes.

[catnapper]

I have friends who are teachers who say high school students turn in paper in English class with LOL speak freely interspersed, and can't understand why they lost points. Seriously? Sadly, yes.

Yes, I've seen that too. My own daughter tried to hand a paper in like that a couple years ago. She was typing so fast and was in a rush to get it out of the way that she didn't realize what she put in the paper Thankfully, she does know it doesn't belong in an essay, AND she's wise enough to ask someone to proof read. Sadly, not a lot of kids do understand the difference.

[Randi]

I can understand why close friends use these abbreviations in text messages on a cell phone, or in an IM chat if they’re in a hurry, but in my opinion, it doesn’t belong in an e-mail!
So I agree with this:

If I send a text to my best friend that says, "C U in 5", that's alright. She knows I mean "See you in five minutes", and it is very informal.

However, I do believe that the proper use of the English language is declining due to text messaging. You can see it in almost every newspaper you open. I guess some kids think it is smart.... “look at me, I know how to do this!” - but what they are telling about themselves is, that they’re not capable of typing very fast, or how to spell a word right.

I enjoy reading a well written text with proper spelling, that even contain words I didn’t know existed. I’m learning from that.

When it comes to English, I’m still learning new words every day and I enjoy communicating with people who have a bigger vocabulary more, than someone who don’t.

[Kirsten]

Well, guess I'm also old fashioned when it comes to this. Even though I understand why people use these abbreviations in cell phone messages or instant messages, I just cannot bring myself to do that. Same goes for not using capital letters at the beginning of sentences, or in nouns.

Another thing I've noticed is a severe deterioration of people's orthographical skills; at least here in Germany. You wouldn't believe how many spelling or grammatical errors you'll find even in official letters! Also, there seem to be more kids these days with dyslexia or speech disorders than there used to be in earlier times. I'm surprised how many kids go to see a speech therapist these days! My personal opinion is that we wouldn't have all these problems if parents would encourage their kids to read a book instead of dumping them in front of the tv/nintendo/pc...

Kirsten

[pomtzu]

I'm with the oldies here, as well I should be, in expressing my displeasure at where proper communication is going. I don't text, but I find nothing wrong with "text talk" among friends. However, in a business situation of any kind, or correspondence with a stranger, it is never appropriate or acceptable.
I throw in an occasional LOL here on PT, or in an email with friends or relatives, but that's about the extent of it. We live in a fast-paced world now, but that is no excuse for anyone to be so lazy, that they can't take the time to spell out in "real words", what they want to say.

[Cataholic]

What concerns me the most about this topic is not the poorly written email or message board per se, but more so the lack of the ability to perceive the difference between social situations.

That is exactly how I see it. I joke around with people a lot. I said to my friend the other day, when I beat her into work the first time in ten years, "'bout time you got your a** in here". Would I say that to someone that I just met, when they showed up late at work? Of course not. I know the difference, I know my audience.

The potential adopter did not know her audience. She didn't know diddly squat about you. She did not put her best foot forward, and you made a judgment call based on the ONLY piece of evidence you had- her email. Kind of like what we were talking about in the tatoo thread. People make snap judgments all day long and twice on Sunday. Think if you can afford that or not.

I wouldn't adopt to her, and I probably wouldn't give my child's clothing away to people that didn't care enough to put their best foot forward.