Todays um, lesson, readers, concerns the um, rapidly developing occurrence of um, dead-air fillers in um, everyday speech.
This emerging predeliction is disturbing as it illustrates sloth of mind with an equally dumb sounding 'doh!' type utterance.
While listening to talkback radio, I sometimes count the 'ams' during interviews and general talkback. The record is an amazing 47 in a 1 minute, 30 secs period. About every fifth word.
Has society become so lazy that we no longer care if we sound like grunting apes, or a society of Homers? (The cartoon idiot - not the poet).
I recently read a friend's son's English homework and although it was demonstrably understood, there were fifteen errors, in spelling and grammar (I can just hear the 'cool kids' guffawing in derision).
If this is, as I suspect, a slide, and not a one-off then what future intelligible speech. Is the world going to communicate via electronics and cease conversation? An entire language created around 'ums and ams'? Like a binary language?
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8 comments:
I am entirely in agreement with "Mutters" on this point.
The standard of grammar and spelling is deteriorating at an alarming rate.
During my teaching career I noticed how students were becoming progressively less concerned with the teaching of these subjects and more concerned with being "all things to all pupils". As well as the decline in the standard of English usage there was a serious decline in the standard of behaviour.
"Life is not fair" -- this is something children need to learn at and early age and no amount of "easing up" on the curriculum will provide them with an easier path through life.
English language----- The great U.S of A --- why does it have to be different --even to the point of spelling e.g. colour (color)
travelling(traveling)?
Any explanation?
Aw, mate, do NOT get me started on those bloody Yanks. :)
Verbal tics are running rampant. I teach Speech class and "like," "you know," "um," "ah," and "right?" seem to be staples of the vernacular. It's highly annoying.
I went to a workshop last week and the presenters used ALL of the aforementioned verbal tics ... particularly the "right?" one, which is always presented as a question. It smacked of lack of self-confidence, which is an unattractive quality to find in a presenter you've paid money to see.
PS: I am a Yank. I spell color that way because that's how I was taught to spell it. English is ever-evolving. Even Shakepeare made up his own words to describe things that English words had not been invented to convey.
Thing is, G, the very people in whom we place our trust to teach kids are failing in standards themselves. Cause of the gov. of the day reducing the pass marks to in some way claim credit for producing more 'graduates', when in fact all they've done is to release into society a generation of sub-standard teachers who then pass their sub-standard teachings onto the unsuspecting young.
Morgy, you agreeing with me again? What's goin on? :)
Like I said - slothful. I realise the language (much like law) is ever-evolving but evolution typically moves forward, not back. I really don't mean to offend but if America had IMPROVED the language and passed it off as their own, then fine, I could accept that but it hasn't. Instead it has regressed it to the point before the assimilation of French (that's where the 'u' in colour comes from) and other languages. And have even adjusted the very pronuncation . (Pooma, for example, instead of pyooma). It's not necessary. If it ain't broke...
Anyway, that's just me. My nephews and nieces are American and that's how they've been taught too.
There are a million examples. As long as y'don't mind me pickin at you. :)
Pick away. I'm getting used to it. I can dish it out, but I can take it too.
:)
-J
Thata girl, Morgy - let the games begin!:)
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