Rant Grammar in chat

[Dukat]

Does anyone else think full stops/overly precise grammar in informal chat sessions look out of place and make the person typing seem like some kind of uptight english grammar teacher on steriods?

I dont know why, its not like that on forums so much, its just that on instant chat like ingame on CSS or IRC I dont expect it. To be fair, alot of the people I meet who do chat in completely correct grammar really do seem genuinely uptight and standoffish, but the proper punctuation just makes them seem more so to me - I think it kinda gets on my nerves when I see it now!

In comparison, people who type in a more or less literate manner but with obviously intended bad grammar inserted in places come over as far more easy going. In the middle you get the people who mostly type correctly with perhaps relaxed grammar/punctuation, and these people seem more 'normal'.

Its all dependant on the content of thier chat obviously but does anyone else get this? or is it just me

 

[tris-]

typing on the internet isnt like doing something important so usually i dont give a shit

sometimes i wont even use full stops

see

 

[Dukat]

typing on the internet isnt like doing something important so usually i dont give a shit

sometimes i wont even use full stops

see

Crazy dood!

 

[tris-]

im one sick puppy

 

[chipper]

im really bad for punctuation always have been, its not that i dont know how to use it, i just type really fast and get down what i need to say. in my head i know where the punctuation is going (most of the time anyway) i just dont seem to do it on the keyboard.

it comes down to laziness on forums etc. but in a game like CS:S well if your typing commands time is of the essence or was before voice comms

 

[mank!]

i use fuck all punctuation because i'm awesome

and capitals are for capitalists maaaaaaan

 

[Aoami]

i use fuck all punctuation because i'm awesome

That stray apostrophe would beg to differ.

 

[00dave]

I prefer to see good spelling and punctuation on the forums. Don't get me wrong I won't rain down the firey wrath of the grammar police if someone doesn't get something right, I'm far from perfect myself. But it is slightly annoying when people write stuff that would put the enigma code to shame, and when you ask them to explain it in english they go off on one as if you're in the wrong. I tend to speak fluent typo and broken English these days though.

But don't you find it annoying when people say text speak out loud over voice coms. Why the fuck are you saying lol! Just laugh you idiot!

 

[mank!]

That stray apostrophe would beg to differ.

i said fuck all not never

 

[Wazzerphuk]

In-game, no, of course not. On IRC why not? It's not like it's hard to type properly; for me it's easier than lazy speak because it's how I think.

 

[sayward]

Hate to admit it but I once was an English teacher and I am certainly NOT uptight!!!!

 

[Aoami]

i said fuck all not never

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fuck+all

urban dictionary never lies.

 

[Overdriven]

Bad grammar isn't real. There is no such thing. THE GRAMMAR IS A LIE! (oneoneone etc etc etc)

 

[mank!]

Urban Dictionary: fuck all

urban dictionary never lies.

fair point, you've me on that one.

i use very little punctuation

 

[chipper]

But don't you find it annoying when people say text speak out loud over voice coms. Why the fuck are you saying lol! Just laugh you idiot!

i find it hilarious, i just laugh at em and call em a sad bastard. had a lad in college who actually use to say lol instead of laughing, he became an outcast that year, just too geeky to handle.

 

[nath]

Bad grammar isn't such a big deal. Bad spelling I can live with. Txt spk lolz c u l8r m8r is fucking awful.

 

[Trem]

In-game, no, of course not. On IRC why not? It's not like it's hard to type properly; for me it's easier than lazy speak because it's how I think.

Go find Kez Wazzlar, he would hit the god damn roof over this thread.

He was the ultimate grammar nazi no mistaking.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Being non-native to the english language i try to write as correctly as i can all the time, if not just to learn it better.

Also grammar police don't annoy me when they correct me, as it helps too, unless it's used for an argument.

 

[chipper]

you should be glad when the grammar police jump on you. usually means they been proven wrong and got sod all else to pick at.


and come on, whos found themselves double checking there punctuation on this thread

 

[old.Tohtori]

double checking there punctuation on this thread

Their, not there, their

But yeah i am, it helps and next time i get it right.

Learned most my "real" writing from a FFRP channel known as green dragon inn, of all places, and there was a very helpful grammar police who corrected me on everything. And i do mean everything.

 

[Himse]

dont taze me bro

 

[Yoni]

Live and let live, is what I say.

 

[DaGaffer]

I only complain when it actually makes my eyes bleed. I do think that if you know you can't spell, then there's very little excuse these days thanks to in-line spell checkers.

 

[old.Tohtori]

Speel checkers, bah, corrupting the youth as much as dubbed movies and childrens shows

 

[tris-]

i dont understand how bad spelling can annoy you.
its not exactly serious is it?

i can understand when you say women drivers annoy you, as theyre dangerous.
or you say chavs annoy you, because they are scum.

but how is spelling on the same level as those?

 

[chipper]

bad spelling anoys me more than bad grammar.
i agree with tohtori tbh. spell checkers and calculators etc are ruining the mind, instead of having a go and getting it wrong, its insta fixed for you 9/10 you dont even notice you made a mistake. So we have a generation of illiterate children who rely more on THEIR (that better for ya toht ) PC than they do their minds. and its the same with math instead of taking the time to solve a problem its bam wheres my calculator!!!

 

[Will]

Anyone complaining about bad spelling almost always has a spelling mistake in their post.

For IRC/MSN, I'm not used to seeing proper punctuation, so seeing it is actually a bit strange. For emails and forums, a bit of an effort is always appreciated. The number of help requests we get here which make my eyes bleed is pretty high. At work, I'm a total fascist with it comes to company emails. There is no excuse for a badly written email in pink Comic Sans 16pt.

 

[DaGaffer]

i dont understand how bad spelling can annoy you.
its not exactly serious is it?

i can understand when you say women drivers annoy you, as theyre dangerous.
or you say chavs annoy you, because they are scum.

but how is spelling on the same level as those?

Because it shows a lack of respect for the person you're talking to. Its not the occasional typo that winds me up, we all do it; its the people who show a systematic laziness in the way they communicate, and expect you to interpret their gibberish. Sometimes its because of a genuine problem like dyslexia, but I usually call shenanigans on that one, because like I said, there are tools to help if you need them.

 

[Darthshearer]

Minge!

 

[Dukat]

On another forum I read very occasionally the spelling is enforced so overzealously you would think the moderators get paid every time they pull up in the grammar-police-mobile

It is a military forum admittedly, but its not run by the army or anything, its just a joining & training thing. Obviously they can talk about discipline etc and expect people to atleast try, but its difficult to take people seriously when they suddenly post in an otherwise interesting thread with a comment like "If you don't start capitalising properly I'm going to start handing out bans and deleting posts!" (they always type in red, its because they're important you see).

I can see what people are saying though, for me I just cant help thinking the person I'm talking to is uptight when they talk like this:

[me]: hi
[them]: Hi.
[me]: what are you up to?
[them]: Nothing much.
[me]: isn't bacon great?
[them]: Yes.

It just sounds like they're "talking down" to me for some reason, probably because I'm short and have a chip on my shoulder It is annoying though!

EDIT: Sorry sayward! I didnt mean to imply all (or even any) English teachers are uptight... stereotyping is bad, and I must admit you've never come across as uptight in any of the post's I've read