the book or the movie? ( Archived) (24)

I usually watch the movie, because I do not have time to read fiction. What time I devote to reading is given to topics such as history and science.
Also, most of the books here in Australia come via American publishers. I am a professional writer and copy editor. There is no kind way to say this: Americans as a group are illiterate.
Lack of fundamental literacy skills seems to be a prerequisite for employment as a copy editor at an American publishing house.
I find reading American books to be torture, because in my mind I have to correct the many errors in English useage as I read the book.
Australian sourced books are not much better these days.
I spend most of my working hours editing articles written by journalism graduates who cannot write a sentence in correct English; or editing doctoral papers by scientists who also have pathetic literacy skills.
Last month I edited a thesis by a Thai veterinarian who had a better command of the written English language than some of her Australian contemporaries.

usage

yes........but........language like everything else in this world is constantly evolving.....i know what you mean but..........sometimes i cant be bothered punctuating properly or even speling proply......you could blame the invention of cellphones and text speak but im sure the degradation of proper english probably started even before that.....yea or nay?

do both and enjoy both

The 'constantly evolving' arguement (which should be evolving constantly, because the adverb should go after the verb) is something that the uneducated use to excuse their lack of literacy. All that it does is shine a spotlight on their own shortcomings.

argument
Bloody Hell, I wish that we could go back and edit posts when we see a typo.

Maybe the uneducated were never really educated properly in the first place which is a reason not an excuse for poor literacy. You cannot credit everyone with being good learners or teachers for that fact either, maybe you are, some prefer a hands on approach to learning and some simply lose skills from not using them.

I dislike the fact that some like to belittle people because they cannot spell well. Spelling is not a reflection of intelligence and some people have a better aptitude for numbers rather than letters. If I had to write in numerical equations to get my point across on here, I would be screwed!!

You are correct in your proposition that people who have poor literacy were probably not educated properly. This is not their fault. What is their fault, however, is a failure to do something about it when they recognise that they have a problem. There are books on the subject and even adult literacy classes.
I have spent most of the past 37 years correcting the work of university journalism graduates who could not write a sentence in correct English.
The education system has become more about social engineering through psychological conditioning and propaganda than about actual education.
For decades it has produced people who could write or speak the language correctly; could not do even basic mathematics; were ignorant of history, politics and economics; and who had been taught to not think.
Of the graduates whose work I had to correct, I can recall only one who had a grasp of the language and anything that approached a broad general knowledge. Most of them I would classify as morons, who did not demonstrate a capacity for critical thought. This is one of the reasons that the media is of such a poor standard.

ok sheldon......i shall try not to sit in ur seat i hope i havent violated the room-mate agreement

correct english? is english not just a collection of words taken from other languages over time and new words are added to the dictionary every time they publish another one?my language evolves all the time whenever i choose how to say something or how to write something?if it s me sayin it, in mai own word s, how cun i be wrong?

The English would be horrified to hear this, but English is actually a German dialect. A thousand years ago the English and the Germans spoke the same language, because England was settled by Saxons who invaded after the Romans withdrew.
English has some words from other languages, as most languages have, but it is primarily a German dialect. The main influences are Latin and mediaeval French.
The English, as much as they may not want to face it, are actually Germans.

My children call me Sheldon.

There are rules for correct use of the language. Anything outside of those rules demonstrates lack of education and often lack of intelligence.
Every time I go out in public I am forced to ask this question:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ4sR4S74xQ