I absolutely cannot stand poor spelling and improper grammar. Not that I am free from such errors, not by a long shot. However technically improper my writing may be, I try to make it correct. My sentences are way too long and my affection for the semi colon is clear, but I do my best. What I detest the most is the consciously applied abusive treatment of our primary mode of communication: the printed English language.
My stomach churns at the sight of nite and lite; these Ad industry endorsements for the massacre of the English language. The new iPod ad boldly proclaims it to be the "funnest yet". Funnest? Funnest? Long dead English teachers are contemplating a return to the classroom in the face of such reckless disregard of the rules of grammar. "Most fun!" they shout "Most fun!"Ugh! How am I supposed to teach my son to spell and respect words when all around him are the "acceptable" abbreviations and aberrations used in modern media?
Something that is sure to come up in future posts is my political allegiance to the non-Republican parties. However, if language were at the center of a political debate I would be a full-fledged elephant. "What our country needs is a return to traditional grammar, spelling, and pride in our words", I can hear myself saying as though I were an old white Southern man. "Abominations like OMG and LMAO have no place in decent media. No respectable establishment substitutes qwik for quick or tonite for tonight!"
In fact, I do not oblige such shops with my patronage. I cannot frequent a store that tries to save a few dollars on their signage by substituting a phonetic spelling for the correct one simply because it has fewer letters.
All hail grammarians!
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