Wow, Evoking Shakespeare in this discussion is a stretch, just because we use a keyboard and send button instead of a stylus, parchment and carrier pigeon makes little difference in the debate, me thinks.

I am an optimist in that what we have is perfectly good...it just needs to be slightly re-formed and "optimized" and unified. The English language certainly can use an overhaul to become more efficient and compact. Contractions such as "you are" becoming "you're" becoming "u r" is somewhat evolutionary but the rules are still chaotic and need to be set and adhered to.

I am also in favour of 1 global currency and a flat income tax based on the total of the previous years spending divided by the sum of all salaries and revenue....but hey I am from another time.

Edited December 20, 201113 yr by Blue

Either way, ol' Bill Shakespeare is probably rolling over in his grave.

BTW- Did you know they made paper from hemp back then? It was the first big cash crop of the new colony!

And it appears to still be pretty *high* on the list even today. To Blue's comment: abbreviations are one thing but at least we actually know how to spell the words we're abbreviating. This 'modern' generation? Maybe not so much.....ex. prolly or probly in place of probably....I see that and similar examples all of the time.

Edited December 20, 201113 yr by sblake01

And it appears to still be pretty *high* on the list even today. To Blue's comment: abbreviations are one thing but at least we actually know how to spell the words we're abbreviating. This 'modern' generation? Maybe not so much.....ex. prolly or probly in place of probably....I see that and similar examples all of the time.

And what about stuff like "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes"?

Could of vs. could have, your vs. you’re, its vs. it's, there vs. their, affect vs. effect, breaks vs. brakes, to vs. too, etc. The list would be endless.

Edited December 20, 201113 yr by sblake01

The list IS endless. I too am from from another time-you know, when bumpers were chrome and "blowing a tranny" just meant car trouble. Sure things evolve, but laziness is not a reason for said evolution. The lack of discipline (and the advent of participation trophies described above) is a part of why we are no longer globally competitive.

Blue, I'm usually in lock step with you, but you lost me at the "1 global currency" thing. It is not working out for Europe as it tends to reward mediocrity and punish productivity. Germany has been bearing the brunt of Greece's excesses but it will not continue to do so for long.

Oh and one more thing; can we PLEASE get the morons in our country (including many of our presidents) to pronounce the word as "NUCLEAR" instead of "NUCULAR"? Its kind of like "axeing" someone a question.

Oh and one more thing; can we PLEASE get the morons in our country (including many of our presidents) to pronounce the word as "NUCLEAR" instead of "NUCULAR"? Its kind of like "axeing" someone a question.

That made me smile!

I think they are simply UNclear on NUclear.

What made me smile is that a discussion on internet etiquette (or étiquette) has taken swings in the direction of world currency/politics, language evolution, humor(?), etc., when it's really just about common grammar and spelling and communicating in a way that we all can understand. I'm sure that the 'texty' type lingo, the '//////' thing (whatever the hell that is), the non capitalized, non punctuated run-on sentence, and other abominations of the English language has sites where the majority of the members do that sort of thing. But, if you look at this site, that's not the case here. It just amazes me that anyone defends that sort of thing; anywhere.

Snip.....But, if you look at this site, that's not the case here. ...snip

prolly