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Adaydreambeliever

IS there something you tend to notice more than grammar?

Like for me it's the mechanics of language. Meaning, intent and whether the imprecise use of language implies something, or seems manipulative.  I don't really like imprecise language, clumsy language. 

I wonder if I am the Randy D equivalent of grammar officer - just for me it's syntax :P

Posted - February 10, 2018
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Responses


  • 53509


      I have come to understand that it is absolutely impossible for me to ignore either good grammar or poor grammar. 

    (By the way, the first word of your post shouldn't be completely in uppercase. Wait, you're not baiting me, are you?)

      February 10, 2018 11:00 AM MST
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  • 6477
    Ahh what can I say... you have me on the irregular capitalisation.. I cannot deny that.. However, as I am sure you know, in my case it is not due to any lack of knowledge or understanding of grammar - but due to enthusiasm and typos. For me, content is all. Meaning, intent, conveying of ideas and verbal imagery matter, grammar doesn't.  

    I think this comes from the fact that as a child I came from an era where they abandoned the teaching of grammar altogether in favour of the idea that content, ideas, creativity were all way more important than grammar. So, I guess we are all influenced by what we were taught. 

    Tee bee no, I wasn't baiting you.. would that I had thought of it first though :P
      February 10, 2018 11:09 AM MST
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  • 53509
    Daydream, did you know it's possible to edit your own posts?

    (What does tee bee mean?)

    ~
      February 10, 2018 7:58 PM MST
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  • 6477
    It was a typo.. I have explained that I type very fast. Unlike some, I have other things that I need to do as well as popping on here to answer questions.. 


    So in response.. I would say, yes, I do appreciate it's possible to edit posts.. Assuming one has the time or inclination . But see, I would give you and pretty much everyone here credit for actually being able to work out very well what tee bee meant...and to have been able to use their powers of deduction to work out that it was a typo... Paying you a deserved compliment, I don't believe that it would be very difficult for you, or that working that out was beyond you..

    I can only conclude therefore that, as is so often the case with your choice of words that you intentionally made use of facetious and intentionally belittling words here in your response? 

    Technicalities...  You are so on the ball regarding grammar... but understanding how subjective, manipulative, slanted, words change meaning and reduce credibility/open one's words to challenge, changing them from factual representations to something else entirely - well that's another matter entirely it seems.

    PS it's Adaydream :P
      February 11, 2018 2:52 AM MST
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  • 14795
    Both my Grand Mars are good thank you very much.......Its my Spell'ing Witch you should be more aware of ...:)D 
      February 10, 2018 12:31 PM MST
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  • 5391
    For me, its:
    Continuity. Can a writer link relevent thoughts in a coherent message. 

    Also, vocabulary. Much can be learned about us from what words we use, or misuse. This post was edited by Don Barzini at February 10, 2018 3:59 PM MST
      February 10, 2018 11:33 AM MST
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  • 6477
    I absolutely agree. I can tell, from your posts that we agree on that point. 
      February 10, 2018 1:03 PM MST
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  • 7792
    Yes and that would be a**holes. Not an actual a**hole, but one of the human variety. This post was edited by Zack at February 10, 2018 1:05 PM MST
      February 10, 2018 11:51 AM MST
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  • 14795
    Just 4 me it would be a Sin Tax I'd tend to be more concerned with.....   :)D
      February 10, 2018 12:27 PM MST
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  • 6477
    I love your cents of humour :P 
      February 10, 2018 1:05 PM MST
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  • 14795
    It's a gift that's priceless I'm affraid.......:)D
      February 10, 2018 2:01 PM MST
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  • 46117
    No I don't go that route much.  I listen.  I listen to tone of what is said more than anything else.  I can tell what I need from the tone.  

    You can be saying whatever you need, but I can hear a lot of qualities that most people are not aware of.

    I can hear stridency, I can hear desperation, I can hear agitation.  All that good stuff delivered with a smile does not mean the person is a nice guy.  Not at all.
      February 10, 2018 2:26 PM MST
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  • 22891
    not really
      February 10, 2018 2:46 PM MST
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  • Wow! I agree with Randy, Adaydrembeliever,  Don Barzini, and Sharonna. My responses to each...

    In my view, it's the mechanics of language - its grammar, syntax, and vocabulary - which makes this possible; if these fail, that which is most valuable is often lost. 

    I like language to express the speaker or writer's intent - even if what they intend to say is deliberately ambiguous, as in Shakespear's Much Ado about Nothing. I also love precision, subtlety, and nuance.

    I grew up in the era when grammar was still taught and had parents who were fanatical about it from my first words. As a child, learning French helped, and also a little Latin. By exploring a different language, it was possible to see more clearly how word order affects meaning.

    When English is a foreign language, and the speaker struggles to make her or himself understood, I make a special effort to stretch my listening, ask questions, and gently prompt. I also slow down my speech, enunciate clearly, and simplify my grammar and vocabulary. I do the same with people who have cognitive problems with language.

    I agree that malaprops can be funny and reveal a lot about the speaker - great to use in dialogue because they sound so realistic.

    Continuity is a wonderful attribute in writing. It makes the thinking and narrative more enjoyable and easier to understand. 

    Tone gives us the emotion, the writer's point of view. His or her character seeps up from the unspoken or unwritten sub-text. It is a vital quality. I can hear it when our passionate Sharonna says, "I can hear stridency, I can hear desperation, I can hear agitation.  All that good stuff delivered with a smile does not mean the person is a nice guy. Not at all." How beautifully put! :)

    I also love the poetry or sound of language - its metre, rhythm, pitch and melody. And I love an original and apt phrase.
    I fall far short of my goals, but that's the direction in which I'd most like to grow.
      February 10, 2018 4:32 PM MST
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