Who else finds the evidence of poor education on YA to be distressing?

Question

many posters are unable to spell the simplest words. many can't string a complete sentence together. many display appalling ignorance of basic information.

it's just sad sad sad

Answer 1

I think it is also a cultural thing. America has their way of spelling and the English system has theirs.  When ever those two collide there is always confusion.  Also, people tend to spell based on how words are pronounced and worst how they speak and that is not how it is, even though it is accepted.  Most Americans can't spell the English way so there are always two different spelling.  Spelling is not a requirement for you to be good in the english language anymore which is sad.  I went to school in a culture where spelling is a separate part from other english classes.  It is not important in America sadly.

Answer 2

Yup.

Had a guy on R&S 2 days ago.

5 facts - Got every single one of them wrong.

Sad.

Answer 3

First, you have to remember that there are a lot of countries on yahoo answers.  English is NOT everyone's first language.  English is one of the hardest to learn as a second language because our syntax and word arrangments are completely backwards from most other languages.

If you were to see someone say "scarf blue fell mantle off"  You wouild probably say that they are uneducated.  When in reality, English is their second language, and that is the proper word arrangment in their native language.

Then you have IM speak.  Thats a whole other category that infuriates a lot of people.  I have several rebuttals for that.

What do you think when you see someone write a sentence like...  "Iz de stov hot?"  I can only imagine your response.  

Here's the thing.  They learn that from what we teach them.  Have you read Mark Twain lately?  Do you know a lot of his material is written like that?  There's even a proper word for it!  Its called dialectal spelling.  You spell the word as you would pronounce it.  Everyone I know has read Mark Twain in school.  Its a requirement almost everywhere.  And then, it is used in marketing.  Eat at ChickFilA lately?  "eAt MOR CHIKIN"  Now, how can you fault our kids for using techniques we teach them?

Then the issue of short hand.  Do you know short hand used to be a requirement in high school and college?  What about the short hand we use in our daily lives?  

FBI

CIA

SCUBA

NASA

CSI

No one complains when people use those acronyms, instead of spelling it out. What about your work?  Can you honestly tell me you dont use abbreviations and acronyms in your work?  Because, personally, every job I have ever had is full of them.  These acronyms that us educated adults created, is where our kids got the ideas for im acronyms such as lol (laugh out load), brb ( be right back), idk (I don't know) and the others.

WE are the ones who taught our kids how to do this, how can you fault them for taking what we use every day and applying it to their lives?

THen, there is the argument that if they keep doing it they soon forget how to properly write.  I dont think thats true.  I mean, I sit here and advocate all that, but as you can tell, I write fine.  Although, some people consider anything that is written formal communication.  Most young adults today, dont.  For example, a lot of adults even view these posts as formal communication, proof reading for grammar and spelling.  A lot of people view some forms of written communication as casual.  And in order to add character/emotion (or the equivalent of voice inflections) people use IM speak.

I think the problem with the generation gap is that a lot of older people simply do not understand IM speak.  Growing up, I remember having a hard time about it with my step dad.  And it boiled down to the fact that he just didnt understand it.  Many teens, also, dont understand why an adult would not understand it.  All their friends get it, why cant you.  Well, a teens world is constantly changing.  School, friends, classes.  Constantly learning.  While an adult typically goes to work, the same job even, in the same career field with the same people every single day for years upon years upon years.  By the nature of the differences, it makes since that kids will learn things and pick up on things a lot faster than adults.  Their world is constantly changing and they know how to adapt to that.  Most adults, especially older ones who have been doing the exact same thing most of their lives, dont adjust to change well at all.

In the end, I think its sad that more people just get frustrated that they dont understand and let their fear of change make them angry, instead of taking the oppurtunity to learn something new.  Its just sad sad sad.

Answer 4

I think its part bad education and also part laziness.

I think some people, especially younger generations, have grown up without using good grammar and spelling, using shorthand and run-on sentences and the like instead.

Blame the internet!  I personally don't really do it... if I send emails or post on some website (such as Y!A or on a blog) then I write in complete sentences the way I learned... in texting on my phone or IMing on the internet I use shorthand... but I agree... use correct English people!