Watch Your Ps and Qs

I judge people harshly who casually abuse the English language.  Within a language containing over one million words there is always room for error - I'm not infallible myself and am always open to correction - but you can tell the difference between a genuine typo and a blatant disregard for syntax and punctuation.

On The Guardian website today it says many top schools receive applications for teaching posts which include spelling mistakes and grammar anomalies.  The article even points out that some schools have difficulty filling senior teaching positions due to poorly-presented CVs.  

Why have people become less particular about their standard of written communication?  Has the speed of online contact and text speak affected our ability to string a sentence together?  As we become more multicultural, are our languages fusing together and losing their identities?  Do we place too much importance on perfectly presented prose?

Mark Twain said   “Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination.”

I say   “Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously had a good education.”

I don't like the dumbing-down of the English language.  Although not the most widely-spoken, it is the language which rules the world.  Our rich history of revered writers is in danger of becoming extinct thanks to a generation of Hip Hop slangmeisters and Essex retards.

Even the most successful literary series (and I use the term loosely) of the last couple of years had 50 shades of 'must try harder' about it.  Still at least it got the chavs reading.

I wonder if I care too much.  Am I old-fashioned in my expectation of fully-formed sentences?  After all, language does evolve.

It's also been proven that everybody can read the following:

"Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."

So, what's the point?  Why go to all that trouble of educating yourself and double-checking your work if most people can read it with a few mistakes anyway?  

I'll tell you why.  It's because it's simply not acceptable in the world of business to send an email like it's come from the barrow boy down Portobello Road.  People like me will automatically judge you. I can hardly stand it if someone abbreviates words in a tweet, let alone in a covering letter.  It tells me you have a poor level of communication.  Even if English is not your first language, if you want a job where English is the primary method of communication, you'd better make sure you are literate.  If somebody has to interpret what you've just told them, you have failed.  People want to do business with people they understand.  Communication should be clear and concise, if you can't manage that then you need a job stacking the shelves in B&Q where you won't be bastardising the Queen's lingo, innit tho?

TTFN