4 ms·
I wasn't trying to offend. In my experience, the kids who didn't read enough tended to think proper spelling, capitalization and punctuation weren't important,
by drcube 13y ago
I wasn't trying to offend. In my experience, the kids who didn't read enough tended to think proper spelling, capitalization and punctuation weren't important, even in the days before texting and IMs. As they grew up and began to use the English language in a less superficial fashion, they started to see the importance of writing properly.
I've seen multiple friends go through this phase, at different points in their lives. One (a disabled guy who doesn't work -- he's a great friend though, I hate calling him out), still refuses to spell, capitalize, or punctuate. Everything he writes is just an unformatted list of misspelled words. Not coincidentally, this is the only friend who doesn't read for work or pleasure. All he reads is facebook statuses and the weather channel.
Maybe I'm being uncharitable, but in my experience, people start out thinking punctuation and spelling are matters of formality, eschewing it as the concern of old folks and authority figures, but eventually come to realize it is about readability. But maybe there's a social signalling that I'm unfamiliar with:
this note is short and readability isnt a concern as much as signalling im not a stuffy outsider
While this note (and the rest of this post) is something I want you to consider, and therefore the utmost importance is legibility, readability and clarity.
- mrjatx 13y agoYou're bringing up spelling errors and things that have absolutely nothing to do with the argument that the article author presented. They don't mention improper spelling at all. They don't mention education or lack thereof. They're specifically talking about whether or not "personality" should be shown through a message, and if it is or isn't, how it can be misconstrued. As in, to some people (contrary to your experience) seeing a full stop indicates formality, or anger, and to some people not using capitalization and not using punctuation infers a lack of professionalism.
- drcube 13y agoPeriods are not optional in readable English. Period. The rest, spelling, capitalization, are all there for the same reason -- readability. Seeing an unpunctuated piece of writing doesn't make me think "Gee, good thing they're not mad at me", it makes me think "Gee, they didn't care enough to make this readable". Which, for some circumstances, is probably fine. I apologize for the "uneducated" remark. You just write differently (albeit only in certain informal contexts apparently) than any literate person I know. The rest of the punctuation-emotion the short article described predates the internet and texting, like using question marks if you're unsure (I turn left here?), or exclamation points for emphasis (Yes!!). What I'm disputing is the "don't bother using a period if you're not angry" phenomenon. It's not my experience that literate adults do this. You and the article disagree. Fair enough. Learn something new everyday.