4 ms·

> capitalisation is just unimportant Capitalization is the difference between: - helping your friend Jack off a horse, and - helping your friend jack off

by quesera 7mo ago

> capitalisation is just unimportant Capitalization is the difference between: - helping your friend Jack off a horse, and - helping your friend jack off a horse. (Not original, but memorable!)

casey2 7mo ago
Natural languages have inherent ambiguity. That includes your grammar with capitalization, any kind of standard english grammar of which there are dozens Which person does Jack refer to? What if you have 2 friends named Jack? Does "horse" refer to a member of a class of animal or something else? Sorry but your examples are full of indecipherable nonsense. But I guess if you just pretend that everything you write is well understood then there is no problem. Capitalization slightly narrows a search space that is already narrow, since that is it's only functional use it should only be used when appropriate. If every rule was applied at every instance your writing would both become indecipherable and you'd subtly change your intended meaning. Better to be misunderstood by some than to water down your message and add class/prestige/formality/distance all of which are inappropriate in most writing. I guess your teacher gave you that example, but you ABSOLUTELY FAILED to understand the meaning of their lesson.
- quesera 7mo ago
  This is perhaps the silliest possible response I could imagine to what is intended to be an amusing example and non-illustrative of the more common real-world confusions. Which are real. > I guess your teacher gave you that example, but you ABSOLUTELY FAILED to understand the meaning of their lesson. Wow, you sure are defensive about the notion that communications protocols are most useful when they are consistent and predictable. You may think you've nailed me as an illiterate, but I conclude that you've nailed yourself as a tilter at windmills.
bjackman 7mo ago
Contrived examples are fun but have nothing to do with the actual reasons people demand "correct" writing. These confusions do not happen in real life. The reason people actually care is only ever to do with in-group signalling or power politics.
- quesera 7mo ago
  It's just an amusing example, not intended to be illustrative. Confusion can be real though, and certainly speed of comprehension is enhanced by proper grammar. > The reason people actually care is only ever to do with in-group signalling or power politics. This is just silly. If you believe that, you may have some half-baked adolescent agenda that you haven't grown out of. Good luck out there.
GJim 7mo ago
Frankly, using correct English grammar is the difference between knowing your shit, and knowing you're shit.

by quesera 7mo ago

> capitalisation is just unimportant Capitalization is the difference between: - helping your friend Jack off a horse, and - helping your friend jack off a horse. (Not original, but memorable!)

casey2 7mo ago

Natural languages have inherent ambiguity. That includes your grammar with capitalization, any kind of standard english grammar of which there are dozens Which person does Jack refer to? What if you have 2 friends named Jack? Does "horse" refer to a member of a class of animal or something else? Sorry but your examples are full of indecipherable nonsense. But I guess if you just pretend that everything you write is well understood then there is no problem. Capitalization slightly narrows a search space that is already narrow, since that is it's only functional use it should only be used when appropriate. If every rule was applied at every instance your writing would both become indecipherable and you'd subtly change your intended meaning. Better to be misunderstood by some than to water down your message and add class/prestige/formality/distance all of which are inappropriate in most writing. I guess your teacher gave you that example, but you ABSOLUTELY FAILED to understand the meaning of their lesson.

quesera 7mo ago
This is perhaps the silliest possible response I could imagine to what is intended to be an amusing example and non-illustrative of the more common real-world confusions. Which are real. > I guess your teacher gave you that example, but you ABSOLUTELY FAILED to understand the meaning of their lesson. Wow, you sure are defensive about the notion that communications protocols are most useful when they are consistent and predictable. You may think you've nailed me as an illiterate, but I conclude that you've nailed yourself as a tilter at windmills.

bjackman 7mo ago

Contrived examples are fun but have nothing to do with the actual reasons people demand "correct" writing. These confusions do not happen in real life. The reason people actually care is only ever to do with in-group signalling or power politics.

quesera 7mo ago
It's just an amusing example, not intended to be illustrative. Confusion can be real though, and certainly speed of comprehension is enhanced by proper grammar. > The reason people actually care is only ever to do with in-group signalling or power politics. This is just silly. If you believe that, you may have some half-baked adolescent agenda that you haven't grown out of. Good luck out there.

GJim 7mo ago

Frankly, using correct English grammar is the difference between knowing your shit, and knowing you're shit.