Despite the sadistic timetable allocation (the last of four two-hour lectures every Monday) and content-heavy nature of my Music History course, the lecturer’s endless wealth of knowledge – and refreshing linguistic ability to express it – made the lectures worth attending. I never ceased to be amazed at the buffet of delicious adjectives he so effortlessly produced; always doing the beautiful music we studied justice.
So, having just marked our latest batch of essays, it came as no surprise that he felt obliged to comment upon our (often hilarious) grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and misuse of vocabulary. However, as my ears perked up at the mention of “the subtle nuances of the English language”, I noticed that not everyone seemed to share my enthusiasm. No, the whispered (and some not so whispered) remarks of my neighbours – “Who cares? It still makes sense...”, “God, he’s so pedantic!” and “Can you explain that again, in English?” – made that quite clear.
In a world where words longer than three syllables are now compulsively shortened with an ‘o’ (for your speaking
Yes, we can blame Australia’s less-than-satisfactory education system; where spelling and grammar are nonchalantly sacrificed for longer playtime and extra PE classes. Or maybe this overwhelming technological boom is the real instigator for “dis kewl nu way 2 txt 2 ur bffls”. Overshadowed by the blinding light of our iPhone and iPad screens, it seems that our appreciation for the English language is fast fading into the darkness, along with the ancient Walkman and paperback novel.
But somehow, I don’t think “my primary school teacher liked sports better than English” or “it’s how everyone writes these days” is going to quite cut it at our next job interview. After all, the pen (or keyboard, if you prefer) is mightier than the sword.
So boys and girls, next time you reach for that glossy Cosmo or FHM magazine, opt instead for a good piece of literature.
Note: think Jane Austen, NOT Stephenie Meyer.
There are still some of us floating around that dark, dilapidated place who actually enjoy the use of adjectives which differ from the norm. You're not alone :P
ReplyDeleteThat is a relief! There is hope yet:-)
ReplyDeleteReally Cathy? If Australia's education system is "less-than-satisfactory", please feel free to return to that glorious oasis of free-thought and opportunity that is the education system of China. Hey, if you go there you could get heaps more friends involved in your grassroots movements! Then piss off and get massacred by the state! Oh wait, never mind, that's never happened ;)! Or perhaps you could go back to America and pay 7 or 8 times as much, upfront nonetheless, for a very similar quality of education.
ReplyDeleteIt's so fashionable to attack the rise of text-speak, but sooner or later those of you who advocate the usage of The King's English exclusively for all forms of written communication will realise that text-speak was borne not from laziness or ignorance, but from a need for raw speed and letter economy. That's why SMS stands for "Short Message Service" instead of "Sophisticated Message Service".
BTW (sorry if that pisses you off) how is the pen being mightier than the sword related to your argument in the slightest? For someone who is infuriated by people "butchering" and "mutilating" the English language, your usage of this adage demonstrates a much more disturbing trend: people reducing classic folk wisdom to meaningless cliches through frequent, nonsensical and inappropriate usage.
You make some very good points there, Ryley. However, before you let your patriotism overwhelm you and lead to insulting other countries you have not even visited (oops, too late), note that I merely remarked that the Australian education system is inadequate in teaching spelling and grammar - no less and no more.
ReplyDeleteThis is speaking from personal experience in attending ten different schools in three different countries - including three in America, where the quality of education provided to me was phenomenal. And FYI (gasp!), the primary and secondary education in America is completely FREE.
While it is true that the Chinese education system is seriously flawed in many aspects (including free-thought, as you mentioned above), it is extremely effective in pure academic teaching. I think the thousands of international students excelling in Australia provide sufficient proof here. However, that is not the subject matter of this particular blog post.
As for the SMS argument, I completely agree with you. I myself often shorten words in my text messages. Perhaps I should have made it clearer that I only have a problem with such language when people cannot distinguish between "text-speak" and "The King's English". So, no, your use of BTW does not piss me off because you are clearly capable of using English correctly when you need to.
As for my use of "meaningless cliches", I apologise if they do not sit well with you. In my opinion, varied vocabulary creates imagery that makes a piece of writing more interesting to read. Perhaps my note to you should have been: "Advanced Calculus, NOT The Book Thief".
Ryley... racist more? lol Ur funny! Do more!
ReplyDeleteCould go on, but ur not worth it.
Bee, need new friends much? That one suck the big one.
Now that, that is out of my system:
Yep, Vocab's down the drain in Aust. (And before Mr Ryley chimes in, I'm Aust 7 gens..)
We swear more and butcher more syllables as if we are gona throw them on the BBQ. One day we might even catch up the our hero the great USA!
Reading that some people recognize what's happening, is, indeed, a glimmer in the darkness....
Totally off track but Bobo you write like Bridget Jones. Granted I've never seen the movie past when FUUUUUUUUUCK was scrawled across the screen, and haven't even touched the book, I think I got the gist of it.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you write like Bridget Jones? Where are all the 'like' 'gosh' and 'dude' that make up your oral speech!? I read these trying to capture your voice and feel like you're next to me, chatting again, but instead this annoying self-hating British accent creeps in.
I haven't read your other posts. Are they going to be about oversized underpants?
._.
Let the hate-comments for "she can write however she wishes" and "her mode of expression is completely her own choice" and "just because she doesn't want to sound like a bogan like you, is that so much a problem?" and "GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY YOU ASIAN" flood.
Now let the hate-comments for racism flood. Ha....