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This'll hack a few pedants off.

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    This'll hack a few pedants off.

    One or two notable posters have tried the old insult about grammar in posts (you know the ones ).

    They are the posters who get all upperty about spelling, commas, apostrophes etc. Well, chow down on this Use of commas etc

    A leading Oxford University academic has implored “the grammar police” and spelling pedants to be a bit more relaxed about changing standards of written English. “Is the apostrophe so crucial to the preservation of our society?” he asked.

    To gasps of shock from an audience at the Telegraph Hay Festival, Simon Horobin, an English professor at Magdalen College, Oxford said it was not sacrilegious to suggest that “they’re”, “their”, “there” could be spelt in the same way, he also indicated that “thru” or “lite” might not be such a sin.

    He explained: “People like to artificially constrain language change. For some reason we think spelling should be entirely fixed and never changed. I am not saying we should just spell freely, but sometimes we have to accept spellings change.”

    Prof Horobin, said that it was a “comparatively recent phenomenon” that we all stuck to a standard form of spelling, pointing out that in Middle English there were 500 different recorded spellings of “through”, including: drowgh, trowffe, trghug, yhurght. “Such” and “shall” were also spelt in numerous different ways.

    Prof Horobin pointed out that Mr Gove’s department managed to misspell “bureaucracy” in the accompanying white paper. “The idea behind it is that spelling is fixed. There is a right and a wrong. It’s nice and clear cut and you go back to rote learning – learn it, recite it, get it right. It’s tangible. But the problem is what is the value of that? It teaches you how to spell 162 words, it doesn’t take you beyond that. It doesn’t mean you understand what they mean.”

    He added: "Spelling is not a reliable indication of intelligence."
    I couldn't give two fornicators! Yes, really!

    #2
    Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
    One or two notable posters have tried the old insult about grammar in posts (you know the ones ).

    They are the posters who get all upperty about spelling, commas, apostrophes etc. Well, chow down on this Use of commas etc

    A leading Oxford University academic has implored “the grammar police” and spelling pedants to be a bit more relaxed about changing standards of written English. “Is the apostrophe so crucial to the preservation of our society?” he asked.

    To gasps of shock from an audience at the Telegraph Hay Festival, Simon Horobin, an English professor at Magdalen College, Oxford said it was not sacrilegious to suggest that “they’re”, “their”, “there” could be spelt in the same way, he also indicated that “thru” or “lite” might not be such a sin.

    He explained: “People like to artificially constrain language change. For some reason we think spelling should be entirely fixed and never changed. I am not saying we should just spell freely, but sometimes we have to accept spellings change.”

    Prof Horobin, said that it was a “comparatively recent phenomenon” that we all stuck to a standard form of spelling, pointing out that in Middle English there were 500 different recorded spellings of “through”, including: drowgh, trowffe, trghug, yhurght. “Such” and “shall” were also spelt in numerous different ways.

    Prof Horobin pointed out that Mr Gove’s department managed to misspell “bureaucracy” in the accompanying white paper. “The idea behind it is that spelling is fixed. There is a right and a wrong. It’s nice and clear cut and you go back to rote learning – learn it, recite it, get it right. It’s tangible. But the problem is what is the value of that? It teaches you how to spell 162 words, it doesn’t take you beyond that. It doesn’t mean you understand what they mean.”

    He added: "Spelling is not a reliable indication of intelligence."
    STONE HIM!!!
    And what exactly is wrong with an "ad hominem" argument? Dodgy Agent, 16-5-2014

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
      One or two notable posters have tried the old insult about grammar in posts (you know the ones ).

      They are the posters who get all upperty about spelling, commas, apostrophes etc. Well, chow down on this Use of commas etc

      A leading Oxford University academic has implored “the grammar police” and spelling pedants to be a bit more relaxed about changing standards of written English. “Is the apostrophe so crucial to the preservation of our society?” he asked.

      To gasps of shock from an audience at the Telegraph Hay Festival, Simon Horobin, an English professor at Magdalen College, Oxford said it was not sacrilegious to suggest that “they’re”, “their”, “there” could be spelt in the same way, he also indicated that “thru” or “lite” might not be such a sin.

      He explained: “People like to artificially constrain language change. For some reason we think spelling should be entirely fixed and never changed. I am not saying we should just spell freely, but sometimes we have to accept spellings change.”

      Prof Horobin, said that it was a “comparatively recent phenomenon” that we all stuck to a standard form of spelling, pointing out that in Middle English there were 500 different recorded spellings of “through”, including: drowgh, trowffe, trghug, yhurght. “Such” and “shall” were also spelt in numerous different ways.

      Prof Horobin pointed out that Mr Gove’s department managed to misspell “bureaucracy” in the accompanying white paper. “The idea behind it is that spelling is fixed. There is a right and a wrong. It’s nice and clear cut and you go back to rote learning – learn it, recite it, get it right. It’s tangible. But the problem is what is the value of that? It teaches you how to spell 162 words, it doesn’t take you beyond that. It doesn’t mean you understand what they mean.”

      He added: "Spelling is not a reliable indication of intelligence."
      uppity you thicko

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
        One or two notable posters have tried the old insult about grammar in posts (you know the ones ).
        The grammar errors or the posters?
        'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by BolshieBastard View Post
          This'll hack a few pedants off
          This'll hack off a few pedants

          Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post
            This'll hack of a few pedant's

            FTFY
            Coffee's for closers

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Spacecadet View Post
              FTFY
              Aaaaaaaaaaaargggh!

              Work in the public sector? Read the IR35 FAQ here

              Comment


                #8
                He must be a relative of Clive Horobin. Degenerate tendencies.

                Comment


                  #9

                  Comment

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