I know I have to somehow accept that the English language, such that we learned it, is rapidly eroding. I recently read that some astoundingly large percentage of high school students have used emoticons in writing assignments. Our state writing test for 4th graders emphasizes colorful images and creative descriptions. Students are NOT evaluated on grammar or punctuation. LOL will soon be an acceptable part of speech...jumping right past the stage of actually needing periods to separate the letters. L.O.L. would just be too much work. I think that even that most famous of TLA's (three letter abbreviations), IBM, started with periods between the letters.
[Note to those who care: Are you aware that the term "acronym" is not appropriate to abbreviations such as those mentioned above. Acronyms are specifically abbreviations that form a word. Examples include: NASCAR, scuba and Fannie Mae.]
Now we are apparently eliminating extraneous spaces between words. Observe:
The rooms in which we live and the rooms in which we dine can now be indicated using just one word.
Maybe the removal of that space between "living" and "room" is why the are able to offer this "3 Pc Livingroom" so cheap!
Di
You wrote:
"Our state writing test for 4th graders emphasizes colorful images and creative descriptions. Students are NOT evaluated on grammar or punctuation."
As a former English teacher (4th, 5th, and 6th grades), I must tell you that I think that the "need" for this kind of creative writing is so over-rated. I hated having to teach it but it was part of our mandated curriculum, so I had no choice. Whenever I had the opportunity, however, I taught "real" writing, the kind that would be used every day of these kids' lives.
Hmmm...... so if the teachers also do not evaluate this writing for grammar or punctuation, it sure makes their job easier. Grrrrrr
Posted by: JoAnn | May 26, 2008 at 10:23 AM