tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196829553153577775.post931246994090323858..comments2023-04-06T02:30:06.988-07:00Comments on Torrent of Consciousness: Assiduus usus uni rei deditus et ingenium et artem saepe vincit.Melanie Boxallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07123851168700589156noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196829553153577775.post-46762678668667053572013-10-02T11:01:12.466-07:002013-10-02T11:01:12.466-07:00Know that you will always hold a special place in ...Know that you will always hold a special place in my heart in gratitude to your pedantry about language and its proper use. That said, your entertaining essay today does speak on a number of levels of communication.<br /><br />There is the technical, proper way of form for the language itself. Knowing what words are really words, knowing proper grammar, the difference between 'then' and 'than,' etc. Added to that are the myriad possibilities for error--whether it fall to simple, human nature, failure to edit, speed or haste, etc. I agree with you that, in most cases, the most strict among us will and can bend the rules when need be. We can be forgiving--maybe because we KNOW the difference and are benevolent enough to overlook 'some' erroneous aspect of a person's communique.<br /><br />Then we have the idea of meaning or connotation behind whatever words may be expressed. If someone happens to get their gist across but happens to use the totally wrong word, it might be forgiven. However, if someone (as you have said) is in a position of authority, they really ought to be held accountable.<br /><br />On the other hand, there is that whole 'mindfulness' aspect to consider. For those who have not had the benefit of Buddha's teaching about the 'rightness' of thought, speech, mind, and action, there is a living deficit of opportunity to apply one's self to...being better in some way. Self-improvement seems to be up to the individual to determine (darn it!--LOL). <br /><br />Whether someone points it out to us or not, change is always happening. Perhaps as observers of this change, it does fall to 'someone' to be that voice of reason and point the way. Might we all recognize the power found in constructive criticism? I was informed today that my favorite closing word ("Blessings!") might not be very appropriate to use in one particular forum where I post. That is up to me to make that edit, if I so choose. It takes guts to take someone aside and tell them they can do better or that we hold a higher expectation. As happened with me today, maybe it takes a buddy system?<br /><br />Back to Cicero's quote--he speaks to the idea of focus. Maybe with so many distractions and multi-tasking, we are that much less focused on the 'one' idea of fidelity to our language and what that entails? A liberal-arts ingestion of knowledge may mean that our expression is as varied. On top of that, I know I can get distracted at times....SQUIRREL! (I know...for most people it is CHOCOLATE... LOL.) ;) ~ Blessings! :)Kathy Custrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687890338800680972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196829553153577775.post-83219178128533361742013-10-02T09:44:07.912-07:002013-10-02T09:44:07.912-07:00Experts agree with you. In particular those who sp...Experts agree with you. In particular those who speak "minority" languages see English as becoming less rich as a result, not suited to great writing, and more of them are choosing to write literature and poetry in their own languages.<br /><br />As for "i before e". Nobody seems to know quite how that began, because experts have counted ALL English words that would be affected by this, and there are TWICE as many exceptions as there are words which follow the rule. The rule is therefore not a rule, has been completely trashed, and is no longer taught. It remains a weird myth.Melanie Boxallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07123851168700589156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7196829553153577775.post-30675233363470472932013-10-02T09:17:48.520-07:002013-10-02T09:17:48.520-07:00This is such SYNCHONICITY, you just won't beli...This is such SYNCHONICITY, you just won't believe it. I will e-mail you the details later, Colleen is aware already. It is just too funny. I don't know if I can stop laughing long enough to reply to this, in context....gimme a sec. ;)<br /><br />Okay, I've calmed down enough to share some thoughts with you. The computer age, beginning with the BBS, augered in a definitive change within written mediums. Bizarre abbreviations, slang, lack of punctuation or common grammar rules have become the way of things. In addition, more and more people are becoming multilingual out of necessity and this starts to show in their ability to write in their mother tongue or in English. English is not an easy language to master. For every rule, there are multiple exceptions to that rule. Remember the old one? "I before E, except after C" and then there is neighbour, weigh, feist and I have no idea how many others. Try and explain all the rules, the exceptions, the nuances to someone whose mother tongue isn't English, it is an exercise in futility. Is this shift in linguistics a good thing or a bad thing? I don't think it is either. It is just a change in how we communicate. Simplification and brevity is necessary when you are trying to express an idea using a smart phone. The world is changing, our grammar is experiencing a shift as a result. I think we'll see more and more adaptations in the years to come as we all try to express ourselves across linguistic borders. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com