When people mess with the English language...

Bubby6

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 12:22 pm

watergirl wrote:

Hi! I have dyslexia (and dyscalculia). I was diagnosed when I was in elementary school when I was in third grade and my teacher realized something was wrong - I could not read. One of the first things I was taught after being diagnosed was this amazing thing called "Spell Check". Back then, no one had a home computer, but we all had word processors, and even those came with a spell check feature. Imamother has a function where any misspelled word gets a red underline. Any program such as Microsoft Suite G Suite has spellcheck. There is no reason for a coworker to misspell anything, much less to be proud of it in a work environment. Even on imamother, (where a lot of people like to just relax and not care to correct the red underlined words), it's generally seen as a lack of respect to use shorthand, text-speak, and a paragraph full of errors (non-native english speakers - I take my hats off to you for every post no matter how many errors. I can't imagine doing this in hebrew!).

Please do not use something like dyslexia as an excuse for poor spelling. All of us in this club know how to fix our spelling and most of us are so self-conscious about the dyslexia, we are even MORE careful with the spelling!

(By the way, Bubby6, you spelled dyslexia wrong in your post t8wice, each time with a different spelling, both incorrect Wink

)

Please let me know what spell check there is for my dyslexic coworker's hand written notes . I'm sure she would appreciate using it.

PinkFridge

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 12:56 pm

nchr wrote:

I don't understand this thread.
Do you understand that not everyone knows English as a first language? That people talk with other people who may not know English as a first language? That there are other languages besides English in this world?

lalalalala I can't hear you.
Seriously, I cut people slack on the internet and other devices. And as I said, I'm a one language American. (OK, of course I know how to read Hebrew and have some minor skills, not to mention decent Biblical Hebrew skills.) So I'm amazed at all of you who speak English as a second+ language. And I'm generous enough to include US born who live in Chassidish enclaves.
But it would be so nice if people knew standard English. If our reading material reflected that. And all the other ifs some posters here have.
But

honeymoon

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 12:59 pm

watergirl wrote:

Hi! I have dyslexia (and dyscalculia). I was diagnosed when I was in elementary school when I was in third grade and my teacher realized something was wrong - I could not read. One of the first things I was taught after being diagnosed was this amazing thing called "Spell Check". Back then, no one had a home computer, but we all had word processors, and even those came with a spell check feature. Imamother has a function where any misspelled word gets a red underline. Any program such as Microsoft Suite G Suite has spellcheck. There is no reason for a coworker to misspell anything, much less to be proud of it in a work environment. Even on imamother, (where a lot of people like to just relax and not care to correct the red underlined words), it's generally seen as a lack of respect to use shorthand, text-speak, and a paragraph full of errors (non-native english speakers - I take my hats off to you for every post no matter how many errors. I can't imagine doing this in hebrew!).

Please do not use something like dyslexia as an excuse for poor spelling. All of us in this club know how to fix our spelling and most of us are so self-conscious about the dyslexia, we are even MORE careful with the spelling!

(By the way, Bubby6, you spelled dyslexia wrong in your post twice, each time with a different spelling, both incorrect Wink

)

Who woulda thunk? Your writing is impeccable.

honeymoon

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 1:03 pm

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

The problem is that many Yiddish speakers are actually born and bred Americans, and it irks me that they can't learn their native country's language correctly.

Some more common Yiddish speak:

* "Sounds" when they mean "seems" or "feels"
"It sounds like it's Friday today because the kids only have a half day of school."
* "My wedding date is September One."/ "I live on Fifty-Two Street."
* "Country" when they mean "bungalow colony".
"In my country, the pool is only open until 5:00."
"Country" many times being pronounced "Kunt-ree", rolling the "r" like a chassidish "reish."

Its not that they can't learn their country's native language. misusing words and phrases is very common in bilinguals. Even smart ones. Have you ever heard Americans speaking English with a side of Spanish and a smattering of another language in the mix? Its entertaining, to say the least.

b.chadash

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 1:20 pm

Regarding using the word "country" in place of "mountains":

I don't know how it started, but it's pretty standard to refer to it as the country these days. You might almost be perceived as a snob if you say "I'm going to the mountains for Shabbos."
Similarly, some people find it off putting when someone who grew up saying "supper" switches to "dinner" to sound more classy.

Amelia Bedelia

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 1:53 pm

b.chadash wrote:

This.
One legit definition of "country" is a rural region with farmland..... Google it.

Also, I totally agree with the other part of your post re:supper.

nchr

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 2:13 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

What do you mean by lalalala you can't hear me? I don't understand, sorry.
I think any woman typing on this site knows enough English for it to be considered standard.
As for reading material, I hope people understand not everyone is reading English reading material regularly. I'm not against it, but I don't have time to read much so what I do is usually in Yiddish because it is most applicable to me.

watergirl

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 2:22 pm

honeymoon wrote:

Who woulda thunk? Your writing is impeccable.

Thank you. I've always been a big reader (once I learned to crack the code), and as others have said here, the more one reads, the better their spelling, grammar, etc. I don't claim to know all of the rules, but I do my best. Dyslexia should not impact someone's ability to write, as long as they had been diagnosed and taught accordingly. I think it turns into an issue when it is undiagnosed or if the person was diagnosed so late in life, reading and writing has become an anxiety filled task. It's the anxiety, not the dyslexia, that would impact that persons writing. Make sense?

honeymoon

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 2:23 pm

watergirl wrote:

Makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

b.chadash

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 3:22 pm

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

This.
One legit definition of "country" is a rural region with farmland..... Google it.

Also, I totally agree with the other part of your post re:supper.

Exactly. A quick Google search of the phrase "going to the country" reveals that this is not a "heimish" invention. It's when a city person goes up to the rural countryside.
(Gotta tell this to my husband. This is his pet peeve.)

Anyone remember this charming song from the 80s?
Seven little kids
Sitting in the back seat making me meshuga in the head
I said, If you kids don't behave we're not going to the country
And this is what my biggest kid said...

zaq

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 3:22 pm

b.chadash wrote:

Not to mention that some people vacation in rural areas that are "country" but not mountainous. There's more to vacation than the Chatzkel Mountains.

PinkFridge

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 4:14 pm

nchr wrote:

Sorry. I was just joking. You made a very valid point I agree with. Really.
But there are some forums and media that I just expect more of. And the devolution of standards saddens me.
But let me repeat: Not here. For all the reasons I mention from time to time -
- people are on all sorts of devices, or might not type well
- we have so many members for whom English is not their native language and wow, are they impressive in a second (or third) language.
- we're not positing ourselves as professional editor, etc.; we're just shmoozing here.

b.chadash

Tue, Aug 17 2021, 4:32 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

I also believe that in many places, having correct grammar and spelling is not a value as much as in other places. It's not something they consider so important.

For example, I have seen a restaurant sign misspelled. "BERGER DELI".
I have seen restaurant menus riddled with glaring errors.

It's obvious that the restaurant owners are not English speakers. But the fact that they did not find it important enough to have a native English speaker proofread their menu before spending the money to print and laminate it shows less about their lack of Engish than it does about their value system. It's just not not a priority.

I have seen CD inserts filled with spelling errors. Although we expect more from a magazine like Mishpacha, I do find myslef cutting them some slack because they are on a tight deadline each week.

But errors on a restaurant sign and menus are less understandable to me.