Is a Degree in Linguistics a Nick's Membership Requirement?

[pietillidie]

I marvel that the most popular fan website of a sporting club renowned for its working-class roots is presided over by so many linguistic Nazis. Those looking for confirmation of their own self-worth in the literary indiscretions of others had best do further research on the matter, particularly in the sub-discipline of linguistics known as 'pragmatics'.

I would suggest (though tentatively, of course, as I don't have a doctorate in linguistics like so many others who frequent this board), that the point of communication is 'effectiveness' and 'success', rather than grammatical perfection.

Poor literary skills may be indicative of a number of factors including intelligence, educational level, ethnic background, class background, psycho-social conditioning, physical disability, and so on. Similarly, isolated literary errors have a host of causes too vast to warrant mention here.

On occasions, poor literary skills can impede the communication process, requiring the reader to employ strategies such as contextual interpretation and clarification seeking. Fortunately, most humans show great ability to communicate effectively even with those whose literary skills are either still developing or less than perfect.

Most of the time, however, those who are 'literarily challenged' are too ashamed to place their writing in the public arena, particularly on a board like Nick's, where syntactic enforcers circle like vultures awaiting a fresh carcass.

While there are many variables that determine one's literary ability, the mechanism that causes people to offend others based on a purported or perceived linguistic superiority is well-known. This neurotic impulse is popularly referred to as an 'inferiority complex' and is commonly typified by individuals who seek to mask feelings of low self-worth by denigrating others.

This 'shame' mechanism is also thought to be responsible for racism, sexism, and most other forms of discrimination. In extreme cases it can lead individuals to enact violence, particularly against minority groups.

Personally, I don't give a stuff how people write, and I would encourage all of you out there who have fallen victim to the Linguistic SS to be of good cheer, for you are suffering from a far less sinister affliction than those who would seek to embarrass you.

[sherrife]

hear hear

[crackers57]

Just to let you know "literarily" is more apropriately used in relation to literature rather than everyday speech and writing..............

now excuse me I'm off to kill a gay,black jew

[KYPREO]

I agree with you that 100% correct spelling should not be a prerequisite for communicating on a forum, but there are certain factors that those use bulletin boards/discussion forums regularly recognise must be adhered to. This is not about football forums - this is about Internet convention, which has developed over time.

e.g. Do not overuse capitalisation. It looks like you are shouting.
Do not underuse punctuation. Its difficult to read.
Use paragraphs. As above.
Do not use sms speak. It promotes illiteracy and is annoying.
Do not use 1337-speak (eg 1337 hAx0r. I pWned u n00b)

Then of course there are the conventions of how to behave (which are addressed in the forum rules).

But I think people can be too fascist in relation to minor typographical or grammatical errors (eg use of their vs there vs they're). Its promotes the use of one's education as a tool of exclusion, which I believe is wrong.

I actually happen to have a degree in linguistics If I wanted to be anal I could own (or pWn) the lot of you BTW strictly speaking, linguistics is not concerned with prescriptivitism - this is the realm of "grammar". Linguistics is concerned with descriptive analysis of languages at its many levels. If I wanted to be fascist, I could tell you that this thread should refer to "English grammar" not linguistics.

[Damien]

A more high-brow post on this BB I have not read... I'm impressed. It would be great if our Universities adopted a similar approach and got more interested in content rather than bibliographies and referencing.

[rand corp]

In the words of Ludwig Wittgenstein:

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
-Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1922)

However, he also said:

If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.

Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.

[Proud Pies]

and probably shouldn't be in GD?

[KYPREO]

Nice Wittgenstein quotation rand

[Damien]

It appears we all ordered that weight-loss tape that Homer was after but got the vocabulary builder one instead:


Marge: Homer, has the weight loss tape reduced your appetite?
Homer: Ah, lamentably no. My gastronomic rapacity knows no satieties.

[KYPREO]

mmmm...a sextet of ale.

[Greg J]

Yeah, it pisses me of no end when people correct me for saying "says" instead of "sez". Bloody tossers.

And your post also explains Sam Newman's innane insistence on people saying AITCH instead of HAITCH. Which also pisses me off.

I believe communication has to be effective. That's all. Everyone knows what I mean when I say "says". And if enough people join me, "sez" will drop out of our language completely. That's how linguistics works isn't it?

[Pa Marmo]

Guys this is way to
d
e
e
e
e
e
e
e
p!

[KYPREO]

[Two_Pies]

But when it is a world leader who has communication problems ....

"They misunderestimated me."
‹Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000>

"I want it to be said that the Bush administration was a results-oriented
administration, because I believe the results of focusing our attention and energy on teaching children to read and having an education system that's
responsive to the child and to the parents, as opposed to mired in a system that refuses to change, will make America what we want it to be a literate country and a hopefuller country."
‹Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2001>


George W. Bush

[bwphantom]

If you want the truth just arks me