Quinny:
We as a nation are very lazy and to a certain degree, very thick when it comes to our own language which is an absolute disgrace. How can we expect anyone to learn our language when they come here if we canât learn it ourselves?
And Dave, thatâs the problem, a lot of it is NOT understandable in this day and age, written or otherwise, so I think that you should respect Tobyâs opinion, not slate him for it. I absolutely agree with Toby, some of it is barely understandable and a lot of it is down to the fact we now use text speak instead of proper words and phrases, and that should be a major concern for the future.
Maybe Iâm old school, but I was taught proper English, write and speak to people in a polite manner, and expect the same in return and if thatâs a problem then God help our language.
Sir Trevor Macdonald is a leading figure in the campaign for plain English, and I for one applaud his efforts to keep our language in the way it should beâŚinnit.
Ken.
Hi Ken,
Iâm old school too, but TBF what Toby has written about doesnât always amount to things which would stop folk from understanding.
I agree with Toby to some extent that itâs schoolboy stuff, but for many reasons, some folks didnât finish school, or didnât attend for all of the time that they should have. Letâs be fair, those folks probably know that their English isnât the best, but they have a choice as to whether they do anything about it, or not.
Education is now open and accessible to everybody, so at least folks have a choice.
In all fairness, IMHO the things that Toby pointed out in his OP are fairly minor things in the overall scheme of life. Now, if Toby had mentioned âtext speakâ then thatâs different and is discouraged because itâs not understood by everybody.
This goes back to my earlier point about a person using their own standard when judging another.
If we were to set a standard, where would the benchmark be set?
If a benchmark were set, wouldnât that exclude some posters for lack of ability in either English or typing?
From a practical point of view, how exactly would Toby have us implement his idea?
Iâd have great difficulty writing something in reply to a post that goes something like this:
âSorry mate, youâre not allowed to post here, because some of us donât think your English is up to a standard.â
Iâm sorry, but my conscience wouldnât allow me to bully people and alienate them from posting simply because their English/typing isnât so good.
For my 2p worth in this discussion, Iâd like to ask folks to consider whether a personâs English/typing skills makes their news unworthy of being read, or their opinion any less valid? I also wonder why it is that a polite question canât be asked of a poster if their meaning is unclear?