Comments on: Language Mavens http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/ like balloons, only with dancing Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:30:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Integrating commonly misspelled words | wongaBlog http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-54242 Integrating commonly misspelled words | wongaBlog Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:31:44 +0000 http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-54242 [...] - breaking the ‘rules’ makes things less clear. But split infinitives, or endless arguments over the perfectly clear ‘you and me should go spelunking’? [...] [...] - breaking the ‘rules’ makes things less clear. But split infinitives, or endless arguments over the perfectly clear ‘you and me should go spelunking’? [...]

]]> By: Skuds http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12646 Skuds Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:40:20 +0000 http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12646 You write that "Nobody says ‘Give I a chance’ or ‘Me is leaving’" To which I reply... Jar Jar Binks! You write that “Nobody says ‘Give I a chance’ or ‘Me is leaving’”

To which I reply… Jar Jar Binks!

]]> By: Andrew http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12638 Andrew Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:45:06 +0000 http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12638 Lynsey - sounds good! Skuds - that's true, yeah - I'm sure I'll continue trying to say 'Bob and me' 'correctly' for that reason. Apparently the French language authorities make regular stern pronouncements, all of which are cheerfully ignored by the French public :-) Lynsey - sounds good!

Skuds - that’s true, yeah - I’m sure I’ll continue trying to say ‘Bob and me’ ‘correctly’ for that reason. Apparently the French language authorities make regular stern pronouncements, all of which are cheerfully ignored by the French public :-)

]]> By: Skuds http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12630 Skuds Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:12:56 +0000 http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12630 I stumbled across an example of prose made excruciatingly clumsy by an writer in the Observer doing contortions to avoid splitting an infinitive in a story about repairing the Commonwealth Institute.... “They want a firm sensitively to restore the site…” Anyway, while agree with the sentiments of what you are quoting, there is one thing to remember: all language is a tool for communicating. Teenage txt slang or leetspeak might look stupid to someone like me, but they enable two teenagers to communicate what they want perfectly - with the bonus for them that a lot of others won't follow it. Where you have to be careful is in making sure your choice to break rules does not communicate the wrong thing. You might think you are communicating the fact that you have such a deep understanding of the rules that you know when and how to break them for maximum effect, but do it in a job application and the message received might be that you don't know the rules, and it might be received by someone who thinks that is important. I'm just trying to imagine someone writing a loan application in the style of James Joyce :-) At least we are not as bad as the French who try to enforce proper grammar by law! I stumbled across an example of prose made excruciatingly clumsy by an writer in the Observer doing contortions to avoid splitting an infinitive in a story about repairing the Commonwealth Institute…. “They want a firm sensitively to restore the site…”

Anyway, while agree with the sentiments of what you are quoting, there is one thing to remember: all language is a tool for communicating. Teenage txt slang or leetspeak might look stupid to someone like me, but they enable two teenagers to communicate what they want perfectly - with the bonus for them that a lot of others won’t follow it. Where you have to be careful is in making sure your choice to break rules does not communicate the wrong thing.

You might think you are communicating the fact that you have such a deep understanding of the rules that you know when and how to break them for maximum effect, but do it in a job application and the message received might be that you don’t know the rules, and it might be received by someone who thinks that is important. I’m just trying to imagine someone writing a loan application in the style of James Joyce :-)
At least we are not as bad as the French who try to enforce proper grammar by law!

]]> By: Lynsey http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12602 Lynsey Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:24:41 +0000 http://wongablog.co.uk/2008/01/24/language-mavens/#comment-12602 I have an interesting book on 'dying' languages in Europe if you want to borrow it. I have an interesting book on ‘dying’ languages in Europe if you want to borrow it.

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