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I actually emailed a local radio station about their pronunciation of whooping cough. I got so sick and tired of hearing them say WUPPING cough. These are radio station news readers so you'd think they would know. It's pronounced like hooping, not wupping. All the listeners are learning to say WUPPING if those people don't use correct pronunciation.
Grammar, spelling, pronunciation--no one seems to care anymore. None of it is taught in schools apparently and if you correct someone on CD they accuse you of being The (fill in the blank) Police.
As long as I'm ranting, phonics is responsible for some of the bad spelling. It's a system of teaching reading that goes in and out of fashion. Thank goodness, when I was in school, it was OUT.
I do not think we can blame phonics. It was taught when I was in school, along with diagramming sentences. I think both of those help us understand the structure of language, and phonics lets you go to a dictionary and see how to pronounce an unfamiliar word. Sure, you can now go on the internet and hear someone say it.
To me, phonics is to spoken language as memorizing multiplication tables is to using a calculator. Even if you use a calculator, there are times when it is useful to be able to multiply two numbers in your head.
The enemy of spelling is that schools do not make spelling count. It should count in every written assignment a student does. Unfortunately, we have about two generations of teachers who were not taught to spell and who do not recognize misspelled words. That makes it tough to correct.
I don't think pronunciation is the only problem (though it sure is one). Many people actually don't get to read the proper spelling of many words. So they don't know how to write it. Reading improves spelling. Of course, if you only read mistakes (thank you internet!), then you may make them too...
The enemy of spelling is that schools do not make spelling count. It should count in every written assignment a student does. Unfortunately, we have about two generations of teachers who were not taught to spell and who do not recognize misspelled words. That makes it tough to correct.
I have an acquaintance who used to teach 5th grade, but you should see the mistakes she makes. Scary!
The radio station I listen to is WLW. A few of the younger news reporters pronounce it "dubaya el dubaya."
Announcer speak. Radio announcers often have to speak rapidly, so they develop speech patterns that work for them. I once hear one pronounce Colorado Springs, Colorado as Coderado Springs, Coderado. ( my spell check wants to change that word into "Cheddar".)
I don't think pronunciation is the only problem (though it sure is one). Many people actually don't get to read the proper spelling of many words. So they don't know how to write it. Reading improves spelling. Of course, if you only read mistakes (thank you internet!), then you may make them too...
Yup. If anything, I tend to think the net is more responsible that teachers for bad spelling by far. Even the worst English teacher would not allow H8 as a substitute for 'hate' or "boi" for "boy". That kind of juvenile intentional mis-spelling is cute when a person is 15, but adults adopt the crap all too quickly.
Spelling skill has severely worsened. The difference between "heel" and "heal" is obvious in their meanings, but "heal" has taken over.
Although I'm embarrassed to admit that I watch Rehab with Dr. Drew, I was astounded when the good doctor actually said to someone "it was just one of them things".
Do you think that he was joking? You know how people say things like, "that ain't going to happen," when they know perfectly well that it's poor grammar? (If not, off the show, Dr. Drew!)
One of my elementary teachers used to repeat grammar mistakes back to the student. She would say, "I seen him" or "Was you going to tbe store?" Then she would say, "Doesn't that just sound wrong?" Or, "Doesn't that just hurt your ears?"
Do you think that he was joking? You know how people say things like, "that ain't going to happen," when they know perfectly well that it's poor grammar? (If not, off the show, Dr. Drew!)
No, he was not joking. He was talking about a serious subject in a serious manner. He made one other mistake too, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was. I can tell the difference between your example ( I use ain't sometimes but it's always wryly or sarcastically) and an actual misuse of a word. I see this a lot in everyday life. I think nobody has the nerve to correct them. I know I don't. I just bite my tongue.
No, he was not joking. He was talking about a serious subject in a serious manner. He made one other mistake too, but I can't for the life of me remember exactly what it was. I can tell the difference between your example ( I use ain't sometimes but it's always wryly or sarcastically) and an actual misuse of a word. I see this a lot in everyday life. I think nobody has the nerve to correct them. I know I don't. I just bite my tongue.
He didn't say 'them thar' did he?
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