The sad, sad state of college English

[rfhertz]

http://www.baltimoreexaminer.com/opinio ... glish.html

The sad, sad state of college English

By Michael Olesker
Examiner Columnist | 11/14/08 9:59 PM

Some people collect sports memorabilia, or rare coins, or sea shells from the beach at Ocean City. Wilson Watson collects sentences.

He taught local community college students for 35 years and has now slipped gently into retirement. But his students’ sentences trail behind him like ship’s anchors, evidence of the sinking of American writing skills.

Or, as one of Watson’s scholars wrote so succinctly: “Some people use bad language and is not even aware of the fact.”

Or, another: “It’s good I’m doing something with my self; Therefore, I can do better in the foochure.”

Or, “People who murder a lot of people are called masked murderers.”

Some of this feels like masked murder of the English language — such as the student who explained in a note, “I was absent on Monday because I was stopped on the Beltway for erotic driving.”

Watson taught English at Catonsville Community College — now the Catonsville branch of the Community College of Baltimore County — and through the years was occasionally amused and sometimes appalled at his students’ writing. Eventually, he started jotting down their sentences and holding onto them.

“Understand,” he says, “this is not just Catonsville I’m talking about. Through the years, I’d talk with colleagues all over the state. They all had the same stories. We’d ask each other, ‘What’s happened to writing? What’s happened to language?’”

You want more examples? How about these beauties:
• “The person was an innocent by standard, who just happened to be the victim of your friend’s careless responsibility.”
• “Society has moved toward cereal killers.”
• “Romeo and Juliet exchanged their vowels.”
• “Willie Loman put Biff on a petal stool.”
• “Another effect of smoking is it may give you cancer of the thought.”
• “The children of lesbian couples receive as much neutering as those of other couples."
Or, when asked to use the past tense of “fly” in a sentence: “I flought to Chicago.”

Some sentences reflect a lack not only of basic thought, but also of historical awareness. Such as:
• “Benjamin Franklin discovered America while fling a kite.”
• “Christopher Columbus sailed all over the world until he found Ohio.”
• “Many attempt to blame Kurt Schmoke for the decline in the population, yet Donald Schaefer suffered the same oral deal.”
• “Michaelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sixteenth Chapel.”
“All these sentences,” Watson says, “were written by college students who were not intending to be funny. But they don’t read much any more, and they haven’t had much exposure to language. And it’s gotten worse over the years.

“The thing that’s really concerned many of us is the inability of many students to think clearly. It’s reflected in their writing. Some of it’s just gibberish. It reads as if written by someone for whom English is a second language, with mixed-up phrases and ideas. You ask them what they mean, and they can’t tell you verbally, either.”

The result is students saying things they clearly don’t intend to say, or spelling things that make their sentences take on entirely new meanings. For example:
• “Keith helps me to have good self-a-steam.”
• “For example, one homeless person lives under a bride in Lanham, Md.”
• “Jogging on a woman’s ovaries can be dangerous to her health.”
• “Including snakes, most people consume six meals a day.”
• “The French benefits of this job are good.”
• “Christopher Columbus discovered America while sailing in Spain.”
“Most students,” says Watson, “make it clear that they don’t like to read, and they don’t want to read. Many struggled tremendously with their reading. So they just wouldn’t do it. And yet it’s so important.

“When you read, you get to see the language used correctly, and you’re exposed to a range of vocabulary far beyond your own. I listen to students today, and the number of words they use is limited to slang and colloquialisms.

“Also, we live in a culture where everything moves so quickly that you don’t have time to think about it. Reading lets you slow things down and think about them. But, because they don’t want to read, you get sentences like these.”
• “Jogging is excellent exercise anywhere, but I prefer to jog in a warm climax.”
• “My brother and I took a fairy across to Martha’s Vineyard.”
• “A very good thing for your health is the Arabic exercise.”
“I should point out,” says Watson, “that there are differences in students. Adult students — of whom there are many — are very willing to do the kind of work you need to do. They’ve had experience in the workplace and know what it takes to succeed.

“And international students — from Russia, from Africa, from the Middle East — they really, really work hard.”

[Arp2]

In the above article, writer Michael Olesker makes 14 punctuation and two spelling mistakes and has two poorly constructed sentences.


(Part of that could be debatable, though; two of what I'm calling punctuation errors could be moved over to the "poorly constructed sentences" category, but 18 is the total number either way.)

[Jet Black]

Enquiring minds must know - could you please point out the mistakes in red?

[Big Media]

Grammar snobs. I hate grammar snobs.

[Arp2]

Enquiring minds must know - could you please point out the mistakes in red?

Of course!

























Ok, I will.....! (Blue to remove something existing, red to add or change)

The sad, sad state of college English

By Michael Olesker
Examiner Columnist | 11/14/08 9:59 PM

Some people collect sports memorabilia, or rare coins, or sea shells from the beach at Ocean City. Wilson Watson collects sentences.

He taught local community college students for 35 years and has now slipped gently into retirement, but his students’ sentences trail behind him like ships’ anchors, evidence of the sinking of American writing skills.

Or, as one of Watson’s scholars wrote so succinctly, “Some people use bad language and is not even aware of the fact.”

Or, another: “It’s good I’m doing something with my self; Therefore, I can do better in the foochure.”

Or, “People who murder a lot of people are called masked murderers.”

Some of this feels like masked murder (consider putting "masked murder" in quotes) of the English language, — such as the student who explained in a note, “I was absent on Monday because I was stopped on the Beltway for erotic driving.”

Watson taught English at Catonsville Community College, — now the Catonsville branch of the Community College of Baltimore County, — and, through the years, was occasionally amused and sometimes appalled at his students’ writing. Eventually, he started jotting down their sentences and holding onto them. I would have preferred something like, "Watson taught English at Catonsville Community College (now the Catonsville branch of the Community College of Baltimore County) and, through the years, was occasionally amused or even appalled at his students’ writing, eventually jotting down and holding onto their sentences." However, I believe parentheses are avoided in news writing.

“Understand,” he says, “this is not just Catonsville I’m talking about. Through the years, I’d talk with colleagues all over the state. They all had the same stories. We’d ask each other, ‘What’s happened to writing? What’s happened to language?’”

You want more examples? How about these beauties:
• “The person was an innocent by standard, who just happened to be the victim of your friend’s careless responsibility.”
• “Society has moved toward cereal killers.”
• “Romeo and Juliet exchanged their vowels.”
• “Willie Loman put Biff on a petal stool.”
• “Another effect of smoking is it may give you cancer of the thought.”
• “The children of lesbian couples receive as much neutering as those of other couples."
Or, when asked to use the past tense of “fly” in a sentence,: “I flought to Chicago.”

Some sentences reflect a lack of not only of basic thought, but also of historical awareness. Such as:
• “Benjamin Franklin discovered America while fling a kite.”
• “Christopher Columbus sailed all over the world until he found Ohio.”
• “Many attempt to blame Kurt Schmoke for the decline in the population, yet Donald Schaefer suffered the same oral deal.”
• “Michaelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sixteenth Chapel.”
“All these sentences,” Watson says, “were written by college students who were not intending to be funny. But they don’t read much any more anymore, and they haven’t had much exposure to language. And it’s gotten become worse over the years.

“The thing that’s really concerned many of us is the inability of many students to think clearly. It’s reflected in their writing. Some of it’s just gibberish. It reads as if written by someone for whom English is a second language, with mixed-up phrases and ideas. (Being a quote, the writer couldn't really change it, though.) You ask them what they mean, and they can’t tell you verbally, either.”

The result is students saying things they clearly don’t intend to say, or spelling things that make their sentences take on entirely new meanings. For example: This colon is a bit of a problem. The writer has used a prepositional phrase typically used to introduce a sentence, but there is no sentence. "Examples:" is an option, but the whole "for example" could -- and probably should -- be left out.
• “Keith helps me to have good self-a-steam.”
• “For example, one homeless person lives under a bride in Lanham, Md.”
• “Jogging on a woman’s ovaries can be dangerous to her health.”
• “Including snakes, most people consume six meals a day.”
• “The French benefits of this job are good.”
• “Christopher Columbus discovered America while sailing in Spain.”
“Most students,” says Watson, “make it clear that they don’t like to read, and they don’t want to read. Many struggled tremendously with their reading, so they just wouldn’t do it. And, yet, it’s so important.

“When you read, you get to see the language used correctly, (HA!) and you’re exposed to a range of vocabulary far beyond your own. I listen to students today, and the number of words they use is limited to slang and colloquialisms.

“Also, we live in a culture where everything moves so quickly that you don’t have time to think about it. Reading lets you slow things down and think about them. But, because they don’t want to read, you get sentences like these.” He actually could have used a colon there.
• “Jogging is excellent exercise anywhere, but I prefer to jog in a warm climax.”
• “My brother and I took a fairy across to Martha’s Vineyard.”
• “A very good thing for your health is the Arabic exercise.”
“I should point out,” says Watson, “that there are differences in students. Adult students, — of whom there are many, — (not a strong enough break to justify the hyphens) are very willing to do the kind of work you need to do. They’ve had experience in the workplace and know what it takes to succeed.

“And international students — from Russia, from Africa, from the Middle East — they really, really work hard.”
That one, supposedly a verbatim quote, I'll leave mostly alone. I would suggest, though, that the first hyphen should not be there.

That was kind of a rush job....did I miss anything? I know some of it is hard to see....

[Ace Purple]

[Nate G]

While I do admire Arp's knowledge, dude, you have seriously too much time on your hands!!

[Lester]

While I do admire Arp's knowledge, dude, you have seriously too much time on your hands!!

But... had we paid more attention in school... I suspect it isn't too much time at all. Just seeing and knowing it's wrong as second nature.

Writing it down, at Jet's request, took a minute though.

[Jet Black]

I didn't see some of the things Arp mentioned. I was glad, Arp, you took the time. Thanks. Seems like most of it, though, is more poor than wrong. I do see some 1-sentence paragraphs; but then again, it is a news story. I also see a sentence/paragraph beginning with "And," but again, it's a quote, so I'm thinking, grey area.

No, Arp is right, grammer is terribly important, and I often see the want of proper grammer in everyday life, on the internet, and in the press. Poor grammer in writing, as the article alludes, is the vanguard of thinking poorly, because the inability to write along reasonably structured guidelines is not a function in most people of ignorance of those simple rules, it seems to me, but rather of a wanton and, yes, arrogant attitude of reason and correctness being the enemy of a supposed kind of freedom and self-drama. Irregardless, I think the article is mainly correct, people in this interenet-blogging and blackberry-texting age are not only writing in poorly-organized and trivial bursts, but thinking that way.

[jag]

I didn't see some of the things Arp mentioned. I was glad, Arp, you took the time. Thanks. Seems like most of it, though, is more poor than wrong. I do see some 1-sentence paragraphs; but then again, it is a news story. I also see a sentence/paragraph beginning with "And," but again, it's a quote, so I'm thinking, grey area.

No, Arp is right, grammer is terribly important, and I often see the want of proper grammer in everyday life, on the internet, and in the press.

Poor grammer in writing, as the article alludes, is the vanguard of thinking poorly, because the inability to write along reasonably structured guidelines is not a function in most people of ignorance of those simple rules, it seems to me, but rather of a wanton and, yes, arrogant attitude of reason and correctness being the enemy of a supposed kind of freedom and self-drama. Irregardless, I think the article is mainly correct, people in this interenet-blogging and blackberry-texting age are not only writing in poorly-organized and trivial bursts, but thinking that way.

We all know you did this on purpose! The misspellings and that circumlocution of a sentence...it was all for effect!

And, it worked...OUCH!!

[Nate G]

While I do admire Arp's knowledge, dude, you have seriously too much time on your hands!!

But... had we paid more attention in school... I suspect it isn't too much time at all. Just seeing and knowing it's wrong as second nature.

Writing it down, at Jet's request, took a minute though.

Okay, I guess I'm just surprised that he took the time to write it down! However, he did catch some things that I didn't notice at first.

[AmpedNow]

My thing is rampant apostrophe abuse. I see it everywhere.

I can overlook poor grammar. Heck, I probably make mistakes everytime I post.

But those damned apostrophes...

[Dave Loudin]

Ditto.






heh.

[AmpedNow]

Maybe that should have been, "apostrophe's".

[Hoosier Daddy]

Maybe that should have been, "apostrophe's".

The absolute worst offenders are those customizable (free to the mom-and-pop business) outdoor vendor signs like Coke or Pepsi used to offer, where an open spot existed at the bottom of the sign to paint in (or apply vinyl letters) for the local business name.

Jarvis Auto Parts became Jarvi's Auto Parts

Parsons Diner was written as Parson's Diner

and so on.

Huge Pet Peeve.

[Hoosier Daddy]

oops

[Jet Black]

You've got me there, Jag. I'm a victim of my own ignorance. I did misspell "grammar," "interenet" was a typo, but I don't see how I misused "irregardless."

[Hoosier Daddy]

... but I don't see how I misused "irregardless."

Many people don't consider 'irregardless" a real word. Like "ain't" and "you'ns", it's considered poor English.

However, Merriam-Webster slightly disagrees with those folks ...

Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less
Pronunciation: \ˌir-i-ˈgärd-ləs\
Function: adverb
Etymology: probably a blend of irrespective and regardless
Date: circa 1912
nonstandard: regardless

usage: Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

There you go.

[Rock]

Right..'regardless' is the word I use. In my youth, I'd confuse the usage with 'irrespective'. I took a call from a loyal listener who gently explained that 'irregardless' wasn't...in his words..'right'.

'Twas my former HS principal, who turned out to be a big fan of the show.

[Arp2]

While I do admire Arp's knowledge, dude, you have seriously too much time on your hands!!

But... had we paid more attention in school... I suspect it isn't too much time at all. Just seeing and knowing it's wrong as second nature.

Exactly....it's instantaneous and automatic. This is why it's so hard for me to read these days. It's like a computer programmer going through a debug or something....my brain just halts until it deals with and discerns the intended meaning of what it just saw. At this point, I prefer TV, talk radio, books on tape, podcasts, and any and all forms of the spoken word for that reason.

Seems like most of it, though, is more poor than wrong. I do see some 1-sentence paragraphs; but then again, it is a news story. I also see a sentence/paragraph beginning with "And," but again, it's a quote, so I'm thinking, grey area.

Yeah. I'm not worried about those things, in particular....I consider those matters of style, and I don't care if I see a formal or scholarly style in the vast majority of writing. As a matter of fact, I don't care to see the most formal and scholarly style in the vast majority of writing. Wrong is wrong, though, and wrong makes the meaning either wrong or much more difficult to definitely and definitively understand.

...I think the article is mainly correct, people in this interenet-blogging and blackberry-texting age are not only writing in poorly-organized and trivial bursts, but thinking that way.

Yes, and you'll probably recall that I think this is intentional. With Big Teachers' Unions and Big Press intentionally taking it upon themselves to decide to stop what's been being done and push the exact opposite of what makes meaning clear and inarguable, how can it not be?

And, of course, with people unable to understand or clarify meaning, there would forever be a need for a Big Gubmint to come in and do whatever it arbitrarily decides -- wants -- to do....an entire (almost universal) class of people dependent on the elites who conveniently put themselves in schools and universities where the real language is taught, used, and demanded.