OK, so, I'm an old-fashioned girl. I learned parrot fashion at school. I did my times tables, and learned to spell the proper way, and I still try to do so. I have embraced my mobile phone, but I still message in proper sentences. I send emails, yes, but I write them just as I would a letter. I have yet to employ btw, or lol, or cul8r. It is just...wrong. But, I am old, and I accept that the younger generation need to find new methods for the new technologies they grow up with. I speak from a library that now has a "chill" area (no, not a fridge) and a "teenscape" (no, me neither). If it gets people through the door, then fine.
I did despair this week, however, when we received our leaflets from headquarters for our events for Adult Learners' Week. We apparently now offer "careers advise." Apostrophes are scattered seemingly at random. Events include nail art and Nintendo Wii. I'm all for doing whatever we can to get people using our services, but offering to paint nails or play games twice a year is not the way to do it, surely. And should we not be the last bastion of plain, correctly spelled English? By all means play fast and loose with the language on the move or at play, but does there not have to be a benchmark, a standard, a universality?
Tsk and tut, say the critics, surely understanding is what matters - my leaflet, after all, is not going to cause major confusion, and advisers will offer advice, however it is spelled, but I still can't help thinking that we are libraries, and language and communication is at the heart of what we do. Should we not, at least, try to do it properly?
Please tell me I am not a lone voice on this.
Speech on ending the Right to Buy, 17.1.2023
3 months ago
Text speak is evil and I always check emails over twice before I send them. It takes me longer to work txt spk out than it would take those lazy people to write a proper sentence!
ReplyDeleteWhat if the nail polish gets on the books??!!
Learning another language can sometimes help us understand our own. The Esperanto Association of Britain is offering a free postal course in the international language – marked by a network of voluntary tutors.
ReplyDeleteThe free postal course is suitable for those who would like a quick taster, and gives an overview of the language in twelve bite-sized portions. Once the learner has received the first lesson, they simply return their answers with an SAE. Then the tutor will reply with guidance and the next lesson.
Esperanto is considerably easier to learn than national languages, since its design is far simpler and more regular. Also, unlike national languages, Esperanto allows communication on an equal footing between people, with neither having the usual cultural advantage favouring a native speaker.
Hilary Chapman, spokesman for the Esperanto Association of Britain said, “Learning can take place anywhere for people who take our introductory course. And we offer opportunities for people to hear the spoken language too, for example at Wedgewood Memorial College in Staffordshire this summer.
“There are a number of different courses available, so there’s bound to be one to suit your needs. Learning needn’t be like going back to school – and there are choices available now which were not offered to us in our schooldays.”
Contacts
For details of the work of the Esperanto Association and the free postal course, ring
Esperanto Association of Britain
Esperanto House
Station Road
Barlaston
Stoke-on-Trent
ST12 9DE
Tel: 0845 230 1887
Tel: +44 (0)1782 372141
e-mail: eab@esperanto-gb.org
web: www.esperanto-gb.org
We are more worried the fruit smoothies for our healthy eating workshop than the nail varnish...
ReplyDeleteAs a recipient of regular e-mails from a certain Directorate where each line of text is interrupted by a line of x's, and every message contains either a smiley face or a silly picture, and where messages begin with "Hi, Guys ,n, Gals" I embrace your comment with open arms! Where's the professionalism gone, and why do people think " appraisals" needs an apostrophe? This wandering strophe mark causes me more grief than anything nowadays and I feel my blood pressure entering the stratosphere when I see greengrocers offering "potatoe's" for sale.Let library staff be stuffy about grammar and syntax. Let us gently point out that the errant apostrophe isn't necessary...we seem to be the only ones left with any idea of what the English language is about. C u again sn !
ReplyDelete