Grammar on the internet.
MyAnimeList.net Forum »» Casual Discussion »» Grammar on the internet.
#1
07-17-12, 6:49 AM
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Offline Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 680 |
Is the use of correct English Grammar relevant on the internet? I'm asking this because someone said : "considering this is the internet where spelling is as irrelevant as you and i got an 80 in english i really dont give a fuck so if thats your only comeback" Of course, that was not a comment aimed at me. Modified by GloriousHawk, 07-17-12, 6:54 AM |
#2
07-17-12, 6:50 AM
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Offline Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 226 |
I think it's always relevant, because it's very easy to type on a keyboard. Typing on a phone is a bit more excusable though. |
#3
07-17-12, 6:54 AM
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Online Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 3073 |
I, and many others have dyslexia. So expecting everybody to have good/perfect grammar is a bit silly. |
#4
07-17-12, 7:09 AM
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Offline Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 5672 |
It's silly to expect perfect english grammar on an international website, but what I DO expect is that people TRY to communicate their thought in a readable way. I regularly see people posting who obviously didn't even check their posts once. Horrible typing mistakes mixed with horrendous spelling and grammar, no punctuation etc.... Of course this is the worst case, but in general I expect people to check their posts for typos and other errors while they at least put in some effort into their grammar. English is not my first language either and I'm sure from time to time I make grammar mistakes, but nobody ever didn't understand what I was trying to say, because I put in effort and regularly check for typos (The typos are what really make communication hard on the internet after all). Check out our new Simul Watch CLUB and join if you're interested in watching stuff together with other people online to discuss about it in a more private and detailed matter than the episode discussion subforums can provide. Also the Custom Tags Club, if you like to customize your tags and don't want to wait until the MAL feature is fixed. If Death Note is "chess", LotGH is "3D Chess." - lisnoire Code Geass would be Rock-Paper-Scissors in this analogy. Guilty Crown? xthedestroyer said: Go Fish! |
#5
07-17-12, 7:36 AM
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Offline Joined: Dec 2011 Posts: 3892 |
No it's not relevant, it just makes everything easier if people can understand you. |
#6
07-17-12, 7:39 AM
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Offline Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 1272 |
As long as it can be red, and gets the idea through, it doesn't matter how it's written |
#7
07-17-12, 7:47 AM
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Offline Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 721 |
Well, displaying proper grammar does give of a sense of intelligence in the vast pool of people on the internet. Misspelled words could be accepted, but the improper use capital letters and punctuations(L33T speak) should be kept to a minimum or limited to a certain group of people. ![]() |
#8
07-17-12, 7:49 AM
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Offline Joined: Nov 2008 Posts: 1377 |
Game_Master said: True. It doesn't have to be, but it helps a lot.As long as it can be red, and gets the idea through, it doesn't matter how it's written |
#9
07-17-12, 8:03 AM
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Offline Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 437 |
I hate it when people use your instead of you're, there for their(or vice-versa) or any of the two instead of they're. On purpose. At least write youre damn it, just because it's pronounced "the same" eet duzzunt meike it eni eezi-er 2 reed. |
#10
07-17-12, 8:08 AM
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Offline Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 442 |
...if you can spell and use grammar correctly... why not just do it? I don't understand people who are fully capable of spelling properly, yet "tYpe L1ke th1$" or whatever it is they do. The internet doesn't just belong to English-speakers, so I'd never expect everyone to be perfect. I'm definitely not perfect. But it's not that hard to make an effort. I mean come on, for the OP's example, the Shift key is not that hard to utilize and punctuation. It's a thing. That just kind of pisses me off a tiny bit. xD |
#11
07-17-12, 8:16 AM
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Offline Joined: Mar 2012 Posts: 890 |
While I try to type as well as I can, I couldn't care care less how others type, as long as it's legible. One thing that does get on my nerves though is malapropisms like "irregardless" or "I could care less". |
#12
07-17-12, 8:42 AM
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Online Joined: Jan 2011 Posts: 1585 |
If you write in a forum like you're writing a sms on your phone you're a waste of oxygen there's no reason for shortening words and you can re-read what you wrote, grammatical errors are ok but most browsers have an auto-correct function so it's kind of dumb if you don't use it but whatever maybe you're feeling lazy. Syntax is a different issue since different languages arrange their word differently but you should at least make the effort to make life easier for others. |
#13
07-17-12, 8:46 AM
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Offline Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 681 |
Of course it's relevant. The more correct you are in things that can be easily distinguished (such as grammar), then the more likely you are to be correct in the actual content of your statements, thus increasing their credibility to some degree. Terrible grammar also tends to give the impression of either low intelligence, a lack of education, or both; although foreigners are of course given lenience due to the lack of opportunity and necessity. |
#14
07-17-12, 9:08 AM
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Offline Joined: May 2010 Posts: 1070 |
rederoin said: I, and many others have dyslexia. So expecting everybody to have good/perfect grammar is a bit silly. That's one of the lamest excuses I ever heard. I have dysgraphia, and it's not something you should be proud of. If you have dyslexia, then sit down and start studying properly. I don't mind when someone makes mistakes once in a while, but when every single sentence have poor grammar, and I see, that someone is in his twenties, still writing that badly, then I'm pretty much like - conversation is over. |
#15
07-17-12, 9:16 AM
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Offline Joined: Jun 2011 Posts: 437 |
Sephiex said: Of course it's relevant. The more correct you are in things that can be easily distinguished (such as grammar), then the more likely you are to be correct in the actual content of your statements, thus increasing their credibility to some degree. Terrible grammar also tends to give the impression of either low intelligence, a lack of education, or both; although foreigners are of course given lenience due to the lack of opportunity and necessity. Actually, in the cases when English isn't the first language, the foreigner in theory should have better grammar and orthography because I and many others took English lessons and they usually have great emphases on those two, since they would be much easier to learn than speaking from scratch. Meanwhile for most in English speaking countries grammar and orthography focused classes aren't taught since primary school, yet not an excuse to commit illegible atrocities. |
#16
07-17-12, 9:16 AM
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Offline Joined: Feb 2008 Posts: 449 |
It's relevant to me. If someone can't even take the time out of their life to learn how to spell correctly and use correct grammar, they aren't worth (the attempt of) talking to. If you're foreign and some other language is your first, that's one thing. But in my experience, foreigners have better grammar, spelling, and sentence structure in English than most of the kids in any English speaking country do these days. And you know what? That's sickening. |
#17
07-17-12, 9:20 AM
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Offline Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 1006 |
I used to be far more concerned with grammar than I am now; I've realised that there are far more relevant characteristics. For example, those people who judge people with worse grammar than their own as 'not worth talking to' (or anything similar) are barely worth talking to, in my opinion, if they judge on something so superficial. tl;dr - this thread is full of judgement. ![]() |
#18
07-17-12, 9:23 AM
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Offline Joined: Apr 2009 Posts: 917 |
Grammar and Spelling make a difference "I prefer to be pissed off THEN pissed on" I often hear people go on about how proper English doesn't make a difference since it doesn't impact how legible they are. But to be frank, this is a load of bollocks. Not only does spelling/word choice make a significant difference (as shown in the above sentence.... It's THAN biatch.), but so does grammar and word order. If words are not put in the correct logical order, then at best it is more difficult to read; at worst it is impossible to be certain what the person means. It is already difficult enough to know SPECIFICALLY what someone means in written English; all the intent and nuances. The last thing we need is confusing sentences which do not use logical word order or proper grammar. Which brings me to the last point; punctuation does fucking matter. Not only does it make it easier to read, but it is also essential to show pauses in what would normally be spoken. It allows you to show emphasis, and to set-apart clauses from each other. Classic Example: "Woman without her man is nothing." The sentence's meaning changes drastically depending on where one inserts commas. Or the difference between Its (possessive form) and It's (It is). All this bitching aside; sometimes misspelling is fun to use for a certain effect. Or even more relevant, among those who are not fluent in English. But to be brutally honest, most of the fuckers who can't use remotely coherent English online are native speakers; that likely could not use proper English even if they 'could' be bothered to use it. Pathetic really; the only language they know is English, yet they can't even remotely use it properly. Anyone who dismisses the idea of proper English as being unnecessary is missing the whole point of language. Language is used to convey thought; and if you misuse the language, then people cannot accurately understand what you are trying to convey. And really... even if it is still comprehensible... making your writing as easy for other people to read is common courtesy. Does it really take that much more time and effort to capitalize properly? To proofread what you have typed; at least use some spell-check? To use spaces (preferably two between sentences IMO)? Sure, it takes a little time; but perhaps you can use that time to make sure you are actually saying something intelligent and relevant. Maybe if typing up a message properly is not worth your time; it is not worth my time to read it... and ultimately... Perhaps you are better off not wasting everyone's time with an idea which you never bothered to develop or articulate. Why should words you never put much thought or effort into be worth my effort and time to decipher? When you write something, the words you choose to convey it matter just as much if not more than the idea. After all, if you choose poor words, or use confusing grammar/sentence structure than your idea is likely to be overlooked or misinterpreted. (Even good authors often have their works misinterpreted.) Why do you think legal/penal code uses such EXACT language? Why do documents like the Declaration of Independence still move us? Imagine for a moment... Thomas Jefferson lazily penning the words "Nuff is Nuff I movin out bitch LOL." Not only would no one take this sort of drivel seriously; but it would have never moved the hearts' of men. Even if the idea was still there (which I kinda doubt), it would never be conveyed as beautifully. Thank the gods that Thomas Jefferson could actually write; quite unlike many who self-indulgently spam their retarded opinions on seemingly every fuckin forum online. I don't mind some malapropisms like "I could care less" or "I would be more than happy". Irregardless does however have a special spot in my black heart. So many idiots use this 'word' in an attempt to appear intelligent. It doesn't help that these very people are often condescendingly talking down on me. Irregardless ain't a fuckin word (and yes... ain't is a word IMO; I could go into details, but this logorrheic message is bad enough as it is). Modified by Omnimalevolent1, 07-17-12, 9:26 AM |
#19
07-17-12, 9:24 AM
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Offline Joined: May 2012 Posts: 103 |
1 7h1nk 175 1mp0r74n7 70 7yp3 pr0p3rly. Sorry come again? ![]() |
#20
07-17-12, 9:24 AM
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Offline Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 1006 |
@Omni: I, for one, ain't reading all of that. ![]() |










