Now I'm like a guy who shoots 85% from the freethrow line when it comes to English. Good enough, but I could shoot 98%(Starnes can tell you why 98% is the maximum success rate for anything) if I cared and put in a little effort. Usually when I make a mistake it's intentional or I don't care. But I've been trying to get a date with a girl who's a newspaper reporter, so despite the fact that she professionally writes at a de facto 6th grade reading level, I've been a little paranoid about writing correctly.

Yes, language evolves, but doesn't that mean we have a duty to protect it? If we don't stem the tide, in a generation or two apostrophes will be used for pluralization. This is one of my current pet peeve's.

Also, I get that in this instance we are on the internet, where standards are frequently relaxed, but especially in a place like this, where the main or only way we know each other is by our ability to type words into a box, why not take a minute to spellcheck? I like to rip my management, "What? Do they think those red squiggly lines are just there for flair?"

And some idiosyncrasies (had to spellcheck that one) in verbal language can be fun sometimes, but people who misuse, say wary for weary or vice versa just come off sounding dumb.

Do you think spelling and general use of correct language is an indicator of intelligence? I tried to have this debate on FB, the number one source online for all intelligent and well mannered discourse, and people kept championing people who they assured me were in fact quite intelligent and just couldn't be bothered or never had the knack. I haven't met any people fitting that description.

I submit that we write and speak everyday, and spelling and the alphabet have been part of everyone's education from the earliest levels. If you honestly don't care, that's your business, but I've seen way too many middle and upper management types and even a few university professors who couldn't spell their way out of a wet paper bag. You think I stick around in a class like that?

To me, your ability to use the language is a pretty significant indicator of intelligence. Efficient communication (the primary goal) is best achieved by at least paying some attention to proper usage.

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This was the world that I had created. I know what I have to do to fix it...to make things right. There's no problem that can't be solved.

I am not sure if spelling is an indication of intelligence, some people just can't spell, even if they are very intelligent and posses a good grasp of language. With spell-check built into everything, it might be an indication of laziness.

Poor grammar however, could be. Or at least an indication of poor education. I am talking about native speakers here. English is a hard language with all the rules and random exceptions to those rules, so those who have it as a second language all get a pass in my book. The fact that they can use English at all, even a little bit, should be applauded. 2nd languages are hard. period.

However, back to native speakers. It does really bug me when you hear all the really bad grammar. "I am not doing nothing" and using be instead of am in a sentence, stuff like that. Always gets under my skin.

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Meant to say something about our current culture of permissiveness. People are scared to correct other people's mistakes, lest they be seen as intellectual snobs or grammar nazis. I can just imagine some modern parents beaming over their snowflake's 'unique' incorrect spelling choices. "He's an individual." No he's not, he's an idiot.

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This was the world that I had created. I know what I have to do to fix it...to make things right. There's no problem that can't be solved.

+ This

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Spelling and grammar reflect a person's environment and education rather than inherent intelligence. Someone who grows up in an area with a unique vernacular is going to speak and write in the same way that their parents and peers do. For many there is no reason to correct this and to be quite honest they're not "wrong". They simply speak their own English dialect, separate from so called "high" English. I mentioned in another post that the war on grammar is a relic from English high society suppressing the lower classes. In fact, in many other languages the prevalence of regional dialects is widely accepted as a part of the language. Sure, things like the difference between their, there, and they're can be irksome, but if a point is clear then who cares. I think there should be higher standards in academia and the publishing world and for the most part there are so I'm not too worried about it. To me it doesn't really matter if the average joe can spell or conjugate as long as they can get their point across.

I know you don't like capital "L" literature but I recommend "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw. It's a very interesting and funny take on this issue by a true master of the English language.

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I get regional dialects, and that I can deal with. A guy from Boston saying something is wicked, or hearing about British "series", of better yet Football. These are fine to me, because its the region norm.

Its when there are native people who live and have always lived down the street from me can't use proper English that bugs me. I speak, culturally, the same English they do. So I hold them to that culture standard.

Also, I take back what I said. I hate hearing "wicked".

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You make good points GF, but I don't think dialect covers the their/they're/there or the two/to/too issues. Those are mistakes, not stylistic choices. And a person who didn't get good educational opportunities might have a deficit, but at a certain point we're each responsible for ourselves. If you can't/won't take the time to have a grasp of your native language(by default the easiest subject or at least the one you spend the most time on), what will/can you know? Again, I'm not talking about people having a loose interpretation of subject verb agreement, or not being able to diagram a sentence, I'm talking about very simple, very basic stuff. This is the kind of issue where I am not inclined to cut people slack. You talk a certain way in certain situations, but when it comes to written communication...people should be able to learn to do it correctly. And as stated, language evolves, but I see it devolving all the time.

Rally around, you defenders of standards! Be fearless in your rebuke of those who can't spell and use wrong homophones! I will stem the tide, though I be but one dude, infinitesimal against the deluge of increasing dumbassery!

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This was the world that I had created. I know what I have to do to fix it...to make things right. There's no problem that can't be solved.

I have an interesting question to pose from a linguistics class I took but I'm far to sleepy to write it out now so, to be continued...

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CMRO forum! Now with cliffhangers! Join us next time for...Adventures in Modern Linguistics pt II, or Lo! The Sandman cometh!

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This was the world that I had created. I know what I have to do to fix it...to make things right. There's no problem that can't be solved.

As far as I'm concerned language is a communication tool and whatever you write is fine, as long as the people you intended it for understand it in the way you meant. I don't understand what the hell some random 16 year old typed on Facebook, doesn't matter, wasn't meant for me, and the number of replies in the same lingo means it did it's job.

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