Somtimes hard reading

[TucsonJim]

My devices converse in Canadian . . . so I have to go back and change things like centre, colour, kilometre, neighbour . . . so I don't confuse you guys . BTW, many folks seem to think that this forum is like email where you can't edit something sent. You can always go back into your own posts on this forum to fix a spelling mistake that you didn’t see until after hitting "post".

Rob

Just don't start using that metric (meteric?) stuff on us.

Jim

[WTP-GC]

Just don't start using that metric (meteric?) stuff on us.

Jim

But that's the best way to measure aluminium parts.

[Tom&Joan]

[QUOTE=D2Reid;165835]I admit to being functionally illiterate. I learned at an early age that I am not a normal person and communicating verbally is challenging for me. I do a little better typing, I can't spell, spell check has been a god send for me. I cannot write cursive, I can usually read it, but not always.

In my career we used a form of short hand symbols to communicate, so I didn't have to use English. Computers saved me, they allow me to correct instantly, edit easily, re-read several times before sending the communication forward.

When I try to teach my wife how to back a trailer up it's like someone has built a wall of misunderstanding between us, no matter what I say it comes out exactly backward of what she understands.

(Edited for grammar)[/QUOTE

Always struggled with cursive, I no longer try. I print. I find it hard to read as well, but then there is an occasional person with very beautiful handwriting that I admire tremendously. In retrospect, I must have been a challenge to teachers.

[Tom&Joan]

All the forums I'm on have a specific rule regarding "no comments/corrections for incorrect language usage". Many times, there are people who English is not their primary language. And the English language can be quite odd for some of us.

I'm not sure I see any more of this here than any of the other forums I inhabit.

You raise a good point, which I have not considered. I have however previously thought that considering the nature of the English language and poor usage of same by natives, how does a non native learn?

[Tom&Joan]

I got to thinking about regional ways of saying things. In PA and Ohio it is common to hear someone say "The lawn needs mowed" Kind of like mixing present and past tense. And in Tennessee where we live now, if at the grocery you ask the bag boy to carry out to the car, he may say "Don't care to", which means he is willing. We have heard this or similar several times. It definitely throws you off at first!
There are likely plenty of these regional nuances. Any more?

[Canyonlight]

One of my favorites for an educational opportunity is so many who say "drive safe" and I respond that I will be safe but that I will drive safely......I get the deer in the headlights.

Our teacher acquaintances have shared their frustration in recent decades on the diminishing emphasis in the public education system in the importance of English (along with PE, math, and science.) These areas have all lost their way in favor of a growing list of other more social educational initiatives and if you do not comply, school districts can lose funding. With the changing nature of our country, some of these changes are important and necessary but things seem to have gotten carried away.

Dan

[Steven@147]

Auto correct has it's plus and minuses. Also my detached keyboard, when the batteries get low it causes all sorts of mangled words. I usually proof read before I hit post, but not always. Also I have a bad habit of letting my mind go faster than my fingers can type.
My Daughter always corrected my Father when he said "worsh" instead of wash and used all sorts of words made up when he was young. You see he was born in 1925, lived through all sorts of bad times. Dropped out of school and never finished the 6th grade because he was looking for work. Spent a lot of time searching the back alleys for glass bottles to return for the deposit, just to have some money. Ate a lot of onion sandwiches because that is all they had. Was drafted into the Army and was awarded 2 purple hearts and the bronze star, worked at a steel mill for 40 years and somehow he managed to raise 4 children and provide them a good education.

I don't judge anyone, not until you have lived in their shoes.

Ya'll have a good day!

[D2Reid]

We took a trip to the Dominican Republic many years ago. One of the tour guides told us he had to speak 5 different languages before he could get his guides license. I thought that was amazing. I struggle with English, I totally mash up Spanish, which gets to pretty funny most of the time. My sons girl friend is from Ecuador, I can get her LHAOROTF most of the time.

While I am functionally illiterate I am also a student of communication, that is, I love to watch and analyze how people convey ideas, it's rarely just the written word, which makes people who do communicate well with just words artists. (punctuation left out because I couldn't figure out the correct ones. )

I enjoy listening to the different dialects in the US, deep south, Texas drawl, clipped New England speech and the Canadian "hey" or the Minnesota "don't ya know". What is even more interesting is that once I have spent a little time in an area I begin to "learn" to use the local colloquialisms (spell check just helped me spell that correctly.)

What's really amazing is that after being married for 35 years my wife has difficulty understanding what I mean while I can read her mind.

[Steven@147]

HAHAHA, the DW (that is Dear Wife) is always telling me I need hearing aids because I dont answer her. She also tells me my mind is going and I need drugs to stimulate my brain because I forget things (what did I come in the house for?). So when I had a brain tumor removed a few years ago, I told my surgeon to look around for my brains while he was in there. My wife says I don't have any. He told my wife, yup he's got them, I saw them!!

We were out this weekend with the RV. She was making breakfast and told me I needed to check the circuit breakers because the toaster didn't work. I looked down and she forgot to plug the toaster in! I didn't say anything, just held the plug up in the air and looked at it puzzeled.
I'm 62, she will be turning 60 this year and its really getting to her. Been married 41 years. You got to laugh at getting older!

I get a kick out of all the abbreviations used in social media and on this forum, trying to decipher them. SOB, didn't know if someone was cursing their RV manufacturer or what. I heard my Dad say it a lot! SOB = Some other brand.

[Tom&Joan]

One of my favorites for an educational opportunity is so many who say "drive safe" and I respond that I will be safe but that I will drive safely......I get the deer in the headlights.

Our teacher acquaintances have shared their frustration in recent decades on the diminishing emphasis in the public education system in the importance of English (along with PE, math, and science.) These areas have all lost their way in favor of a growing list of other more social educational initiatives and if you do not comply, school districts can lose funding. With the changing nature of our country, some of these changes are important and necessary but things seem to have gotten carried away.

Dan

I have read before the cost to businesses due to communication errors, or lack of communication. I found this so easy to believe, because I saw it first hand. In fact late last week myself and others received a directive to do something, tapped was the word, taped was the intended instruction. I was not alone in being confused.