Arrant Nonsense
Okay, my ex, along with about two dozen other people, has forwarded the following message to me.
“Don’t delete this because it looks weird. Believe it or not you can read it.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.”
All I have to say is that this sort of arrant nonsense is not amusing in the least. Just what we need is some semi-scientific study lending credence to the idea that one can dispense with the niceties of spelling and grammar because a person’s mind can figure it out anyway.
Read my fingertips, folks: Spelling and grammar are important. No matter what a bunch of scientists say.
Sure, you can read the paragraph. But can you read it as quickly as you might usually read a similar message? Is it efficient? Does it lend itself to clear and effective communication? NO. The Grammar Guru guarantees you that if you turned in a report with that kind of gobbledygook in it, you’d be put on probation, at the very least.
Perhaps the Grammar Guru is taking this a bit seriously … but the Grammar Guru takes the language seriously. You see, one can communicate with gestures and grunts, but why would one want to? And the mere suggestion that the rules of grammar and spelling might be dispensed with —- well, it’s a blow at the foundations of civilised communication. If we lose the ability to communicate clearly in a civilised fashion, we will soon find that we inhabit a society in which there can be no trust, because no one will be certain to understand exactly what another person is trying to communicate. And then society will collapse.
Chicken Little is going to return to the hen-house now.
9 Comments
Yes, this is painful. Almost as much as the day I found out that dictionaries reflect popular usage rather than being an inviolate standard of correctness. I will not pronounce the “t” in often, no matter is currently written. Love this blog. You’re not alone.
A good post, and my thoughts exactly . . . except for one thing.
Ahem . . . let’s not forget that Deaf people communicate very effectively with gestures. Not only do Deaf people communicate effectively with gestures, but many people who are hearing want to learn ASL. Also, Deaf people are very proud of their language.
That rant aside, I agree. I hate that email, it is not effective communication, and people should make an effort to learn the rules of grammar.
LOL Jemmie. Oddly enough, I don’t think about ASL as being gestures. It’s a whole ‘nother language, isn’t it? But your point is well taken.
An excellent point is made well in this post.
Mummy: Yes, ASL is a language in and of itself, with its own grammatical rules and all! I guess I have heard too many people calling it “broken English” and “simply gestures” that I shuddered a little at the sentence I quoted by you.
My apologies for jumping to conclusions. (You know, jumping to conclusions is the most exercise I get these days.)
The Usual Nonsense
The conventions of Grammar and Punctuation were created because they aid written communication, making it understandable and pleasant. Misspellings and awkward sentence structures interrupt the immersive flow of a story because they jolt the reader momentarily and break the spell, forcing him out of the tale. Even the most amazing story fails if it cannot be realized properly in words. You are absolutely correct, garbage writing can be understood, but so what? That’s for texbooks, not for art.
No, you’re not overreacting
In fact, you are absolutely right! We have become so afraid of offending others that we are afraid to do such things as enforce the rules of grammar, punctuation and style. And don’t get me started on the whole notion of right and wrong beliefs and moral values, either. That’s another one of my “hot buttons.”
Amen!!!
I can’t begin to explain how irritated I get when I correct someone’s grammar, and they turn to me and say, “Why does it even matter? People will know what I mean!” UGH! I get that a lot from my general manager–after she specifically asks me to proofread something for her! Sheesh!
Editormum,
As always, I stand in awe of your knowledge of English, and American, and it’s always a pleasure to read you.
That piece of garbled garbage reminds me of that arrogant crank, G.B. Shaw, whose views on English were eccentric, to say the least.
As an illustration of the vagaries of English, he spelt ( or is it spelled? ) fish, “ghoti” Huh? Ghoti?
The gh as in cough, the o as in women, and the tio as in station. Smartass!
Don’t you just hate people like that? As the cliche goes. Why not clishe. eh?