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| Porn Users Forum » OT The Degenration of the English Language |
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| 08-10-10 02:42am - 5248 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User  Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
OT The Degenration of the English Language I know languages constantly evolve, but I see what is happening to the English language as a degeneration. I think the start of the dramatic downturn was text speak. Using single letters as phonetics for words ( u for you ) & acronyms for want of a closer word ( m8 for mate ) We already seem to have a generation of illiterates. Whether that can be blamed on the system, the do-gooders, the teachers or the youth themselves it is not a simple black & white situation. I can accept Americanisms as it seems to be becoming a seperate language. ( One I do have difficulty with is 'My bad....' My bad what?...Foot , leg, tooth? Surely it should be 'My mistake.' ) Given that we already have this generation of illiterates, how are the next generation going to go on? Now I know my grammatical English is not good, but at least I try. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! Edited on Aug 10, 2010, 08:55am | |
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| 08-10-10 07:22am - 5248 days | #2 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
Capn, perhaps u shud muv to Amerika, where we believe in freedom of speek (and freedom of riting).  Edited on Aug 10, 2010, 08:40am | |
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| 08-10-10 08:45am - 5248 days | #3 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
....and freeedum from speelling tooo.  ( Yes, I know I rather asked for that! Especially after my typo in the thread title   )Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! Edited on Aug 10, 2010, 08:51am | |
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| 08-10-10 09:28am - 5248 days | #4 | |
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Khan (0)
Suspended  Posts: 1,737 Registered: Jan 05, '07 Location: USA |
Interesting side note ... Standardized spelling only became popular after the invention of the printing press? Former PornUsers Senior Administrator Now at: MyPorn.com "To get your ideas across use small words, big ideas, and short sentences."-John Henry Patterson | |
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| 08-10-10 09:43am - 5248 days | #5 | |
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Tree Rodent (0)
Active User  Posts: 708 Registered: Oct 29, '08 Location: UK |
I agree with Capn, but find myself using online and text shorthand myself on occasions. We often have people in the media complaining about falling standards, and sometimes I find myself agreeing with them. At other times I feel that language and spelling of words is merely a way of conveying ideas and opinions. It evolves to suit our needs and different lifestyle through the ages. It is our language and I feel it is similar to the law. We should be using it for our benefit and to serve us, not the other way around. The majority rather than the minority should be laying down both the law, and the law of language. On a personal level I prefer the old standards of spelling and grammar. But that is just my standards which are partly due to my education. I still use capital letters and don't abreviate words that often, but do find myself using LOL a lot. When I first saw people using LOL I wondered who he was, but he did seem to get around a lot. When someone first said to me "yw" I thought they were saying "you wanker," but thankfully managed to worked out what it meant before I told them to "f**K off." | |
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| 08-10-10 02:33pm - 5248 days | #6 | |
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Wittyguy (0)
Active User  Posts: 1,138 Registered: Feb 04, '08 Location: Left Coast, USA |
OMG! The walls of civilization are crumbling around us Given that the civilized world has been slowly dying since prohibition was lifted, girls started wearing skirts above the knee and kids started listening to Elvis, I think we'll probably survive this current over-democratization of the written word. Slang (like "My bad") has always been part of language and it's often how new words and ideas get started before becoming co-opted into the "standard" vernacular. Text speak is just a current incarnation of slang only on much larger scale. My guess is that as technology improves and voice recognition gets better, we'll see less of this and get more people talking to themselves like the current bluetooth crowd annoying me in line for coffee. The problem I have with the text speak crowd is that for many of them, this is their primary form of written communication on a daily basis. As such, they get the idea that text speak is fine for all forms of communication instead of just their friends and family. In other words, people just don't understand the rules (which are admittedly blurry) of when it's OK to go text speak or slang and when it's not. I equate it to the people who mindlessly blab or text away when it's not socially appropriate. In the business world where I sometimes lurk, nothing kills your credibility faster than firing off a professional email or letter filled with spelling or grammar mistakes or, even worse, text speak. It just screams that you're young and/or dumb. I don't expect a piece of prose that rivals Hemmingway but I do want something that communicates a purpose and has some structure to it. Being able to write well is not an innate skill, it takes time, practice and critical thought; things that seem in short supply these days. The increased amount of "writing" that people do everyday in the form of emails, texts, blogs, etc. has greatly increased for the average pervert. However, as with most things, the more people that jump on board the lower the boat rides in the water, effectively watering down the standards that the "Capn" (language gurus) want to enforce. While I think it's good that more people are writing, the downside is that the quality of that writing that most people engage in isn't very good and that leads people to not improve their skills. Part of it is the technology and culture that has risen around it. Part of it is people not expecting or demanding more of each other. Perhaps the biggest part is that people just don't spend that much time doing serious reading and writing ... especially when it's harvest time down on Farmville. Distractions, choices and modern lifestyles tend to dilute the time and effort people might otherwise spend honing their communication skills. However, the rules of civilization still apply: positions of leadership will still require mastery of communication to attain those positions. We will still expect and demand a certain level of professionalism in the written word in many other contexts like journalism, the law, book writers, and teachers. So, I don't worry too much about the current generation of text lemmings heading off the cliff, it's just that they are perhaps a bit slow in realizing the rules of the game. | |
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| 08-10-10 02:42pm - 5248 days | #7 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
Insightful, informative & entertaining replies. I'm pleased I managed to draw a few responses.  Thanks. Anyone else going to voice an opinion? Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-10-10 03:44pm - 5248 days | #8 | |
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Sevrin (0)
Active User  Posts: 80 Registered: May 30, '10 |
That stands to reason, since few people learned how to read and write until the printing press, and movable type in particular, made written materials widely available. | |
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| 08-10-10 04:43pm - 5248 days | #9 | |
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Drooler (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 1,831 Registered: Mar 11, '07 Location: USA |
Wittyguy said it well in making his point that one's usage of language affects one's credibility, and by that I mean everything involved, be it spelling, punctuation, textual coherence, diction, and all the rest. I'm actually annoyed by text message writing done in non-text-message contexts. The rationale for the text message "style" is efficiency, which makes sense to me, but there's plenty to be said for textual elaboration. People who "text" in their emails look like real idiots. And about expressions such as "my bad," well, I've got my own list of peeves (who doesn't?), though "my bad" isn't one of them. There was a time in the '90's when "NOT!" was a popular shortcut to "I don't think so" or "It didn't turn out as expected," etc., though it seems to have pretty much run its course. I liked that one, too. It was fun. It was also a good example of how a simple Anglo-Saxon form could be given an innovative, highly-contextualized use that it had not had before. Basically, the point I wish to entertain is that of having a range in the language. American English is a mixture of many influences, coming from the black community, the WASP community, the Jews, and on and on. And then there are all of the regional differences, which aren't as strong as they were before mass media, but which still can be noticed! So from the bubbling cauldron of ever-evolving English, I just think it's good to have a range of speech forms. You aren't going to speak to your plumber in the same way that you'll speak to your lawyer, and you probably shouldn't. I just wish that people would stop using "literally" when there's no common figurative equivalent, as in "Literally hundreds of people are outside waiting." "Hundreds" is just an indefinite quantity. It's nothing like a shower of felines and canines. I wanted something new, so I left England for New England. Edited on Aug 10, 2010, 04:51pm | |
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| 08-10-10 05:06pm - 5248 days | #10 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
There is no doubt that English is a rich and diverse language. I just wish there was more effort in everyday conversations & communications. My concern remains however, that the general standard of literacy is poor now. How bad is the next generation going to be? Innit!  Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-10-10 05:58pm - 5248 days | #11 | |
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Sevrin (0)
Active User Posts: 80 Registered: May 30, '10 |
The next generation is horribly illiterate, for the most part. The worst part, however, is not that many of them don't write well or according to accepted standards, but that they are so miserably unread and revel in their ignorance. Cultural references that educated people have shared for centuries are disappearing from public discourse. I'm not concerned about lulz and d00dspeak. Every generation has its dialect. What bothers me is that they're talking about nothing worthwhile, and couldn't frame a proper argument if they tried. | |
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| 08-10-10 06:20pm - 5248 days | #12 | |
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PinkPanther (0)
Active User  Posts: 1,136 Registered: Jan 08, '07 Location: Oakland, CA |
I don't know, man. You guys just meet the wrong young people. I work with lots of people decades younger than me and meet a lot of my nephew's friends and they're decades younger than me and they're a pretty dang intelligent, well-spoken crowd. This thread reminds me of that song from the musical, Bye Bye Birdie that came out in the 60's - "Kids" - I don't know what's wrong with these kids today! Kids! Who can understand anything they say? Kids! They a disobedient, disrespectful oafs! Noisy, crazy, dirty, lazy, loafers! | |
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| 08-10-10 10:47pm - 5248 days | #13 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
It seems like I am the youngest to respond to this thread (thus far) so I'll stick up for "my" generation a little. We're not illiterate, just differently literate--as in text, e-mail, Facebook, and, yes, even Twitter--but we can still form a sentence and read a book with the best of them, damn it! It's just that if don't have to then we generally choose not to... I agree with Drooler in that text speak should be left to texting. If you only have a 140 characters to work with then it makes sense to break down the language. But if you're writing an e-mail I would expect at least a half-assed effort at sentence structure and punctuation, hell, maybe even a capitalized letter or two. I personally find it rude that someone can supposedly not "find the time" to compose an e-mail as if any of that mattered. But I don't get too mad about it, after all it's only an e-mail, not a resume or SAT essay, which if you can't make the effort to write correctly than you deal with the consequences personally. English is a funny language, especially in the hands (mouths?) of those who speak no other language. There are plenty here in the U.S. who expect everyone to speak English--and only English!--yet these seem to be the same people who are not exactly who you would call proficient speakers or spellers. If you ask me, that's the degeneration of language; the supposed superiority (usually just xenophobia) of one language over another in the hopes that everyone only speaks a single language made up of only a few hundred unique words. But I digress... I'd admit I and those around my age have not exactly done much to improve the English language beyond possibly just speeding up the delivery process--texts, Tweets, posts, etc.--for the grand purposes of seeing a movie or drinking coffee. But if we are the "future" generations than everyone else won't have much choice in the matter. At least not until the young get old and suddenly the younger generations are "speaking" in a way no one ever imagined. What that could be I can only imagine: brainwave reading, telekinetic writing, flatulence speaking--I don't know! "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-10-10 11:01pm - 5248 days | #14 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Why shouldn't you? Does a lawyer require different forms of speech than a plumber? I wouldn't expect plumber-client privilege to be the same as attorney-client privilege--in other words, don't admit to your plumber you killed your wife, hacked up her corpse and fed it down the disposal he's now fixing--but that doesn't mean you can't address two adults in basically the same manner. But if your lawyer has plumber's crack than you may need to use different speech, and find representation with better fitting trousers. I'd expect different forms of relationships to require different forms of speaking. For example, you don't speak to your lover the way you speak to your parents (at least in certain situations...) nor do you address your boss the same way you address your drinking buddies (unless your boss is a drinking buddy, in which case go nuts). It may not even be the way you speak that differs, simply what you say that changes. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-11-10 12:08am - 5248 days | #15 | |
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slutty (0)
Active User Posts: 475 Registered: Mar 02, '09 Location: Pennsylvania |
I have to agree with turboshaft, here. I think the concept that this "new way" younger people speak is a bit overblown. As PinkPanther said, aren't teenagers always lazy, good for nothing, slackers? I remember people saying similar things about my generation's math skills because of the prevelence of calculators and computers. I was in college in the heyday of IRC and 3l33t speak, and many of the kids I knew that were heavy into that shit went on to be quite successful engineers and scientists even though from an outsiders perspective you would think they learned English as a second language. I think as folks mature, they realize when using certain types of communication is acceptable. Many people have figured our acceptable ways to communicate effective professionally - which may not be the same way they communicate socially (for example, I curse like a sailor around my friends, however not so much at my job). It is a mistake to judge a generation by their youth, because every teen is plenty fucked up, and I imagine that many of these kids could put together a coherent argument if they chose to. Bunny Lebowski: I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars. Brandt: Ah hahahahaha! Wonderful woman. We're all, we're all very fond of her. Very free-spirited. | |
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| 08-11-10 12:59am - 5248 days | #16 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Especially when a generation makes all of its real mistakes when they are well into adulthood! Great quote, slutty! Older generations only seem to give credit to younger generations when they do something seen as wrong in the eyes the old guard. Heaven forfend that the young should ever try anything new! "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-11-10 02:35am - 5247 days | #17 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
OK, I like the way this thread is flowing..... Let's throw another tack in. With the 'globalisation' of the Internerd, American English is the preferred language. I don't see this as a problem in itself, as it enables largely coherent conversations all over the world. Where it may become a problem is it's pervasive cultural influences & values. With the internet available on demand all over the world, its influences are widespread. It could be a threat to small communities unless they make a conscious effort to promote their own culture. There is nothing new in cultures evolving, throughout histories cultures rise, mature & die out. I think the internet may just accelerate it. Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-11-10 05:42am - 5247 days | #18 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
When I was growing up, back in the dark ages, you could clearly tell where a person was raised from the way he spoke. I grew up in California. A person from the deep South spoke with a strong southern accent, a person from the Northeast spoke with a Northern accent, a person from New York spoke with a garbled New Yawk sound. Today, you listen to teenagers speak, it sounds like they all grew up in the San Fernando valley (Valley speak). Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, because pure Valley speak peaked years ago, but the strong regional accents from the 1950s and 1960s and earlier are no longer with us. Radio, movies, TV etc. have changed the way we talk. I assume the Internet is just the latest force on cultural influence, and a powerful one, just like radio, movies, and TV were in their day. | |
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| 08-11-10 09:32am - 5247 days | #19 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
None were as globally pervasive as the internet though. American English is its language, despite the possibility that there are more Chinese speakers in the world.. With the language its values & culture tend to be exported. On the positive side it enables instant communication. I just hope that the world doesn't get too homogenised as a result of it. Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-11-10 09:37am - 5247 days | #20 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Culture and language are closely related so American English being the "preferred" language of much of the Internet already presents a culture clash. If people are encouraged to use a language other than their native tongue then they are already under pressure to cast off a part of their culture just to communicate. But even if clashes don't occur over languages then they surely will over something else; religion, family, politics, you name it. As I see it, the great double-edged sword of the web is that exposes people to some of the strongest and most extremes voices and views in the world. While there certainly was no PU prior to the Internet, I am betting that majority of us have seen what we personally view as the hardest and most vile porn thanks to the Internet. Likewise those with other (i.e. non-porn) interests have been able to meet people with similar tastes and beliefs, while also exposing them to extreme elements. The problem I see is that the web provides a false sense of experience in that none of us are really communicating and interacting with one another in person in the same place. It's all virtual and yes it's accelerating rapidly. Just watch how every big news story now takes off like a rocket through every nook and cranny of the 'net in the matter of a few hours, if even that. But if it turns out to be false, suddenly it's too late to correct the mistake. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-11-10 05:39pm - 5247 days | #21 | |
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slutty (0)
Active User Posts: 475 Registered: Mar 02, '09 Location: Pennsylvania |
While I think accents have faded over time - this is probably mostly due to people from different areas moving about, there are still some pretty strong accents around. In Pittsburgh, where I lived for a while, I heard many kids with pretty strong Pittsburgh accents, yinz and all. I believe the main reason accents are waning is due to interstate commerce, where professionals fear they will look unprofessional around non-locals if they have a strong accent. Of course, I don't really care one way or the other, I'd be perfectly happy if I never heard anyone say yous or wudder ever again - I don't know that accents have that much of an influence on culture. As far as globalization, it certainly seems as though English may become a global language of sorts. However, I'm sure that countries will fight pretty hard to maintain their own culture, doesn't France still have that society that decides if words can be added to the French language like hamburger or whatever? I think the reality of globalization is that cultures will intermingle and there will certainly be influences and I don't think it is a one-way street. Bunny Lebowski: I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars. Brandt: Ah hahahahaha! Wonderful woman. We're all, we're all very fond of her. Very free-spirited. | |
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| 08-11-10 07:49pm - 5247 days | #22 | ||
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
I have always found it interesting how people adapt and change accents for what they perceive to be a professional or social benefit. A couple of famous examples are former president George W. Bush adapting somewhat of a Texan accent despite being born in Connecticut (he's the only one in his family who is publicly known to speak like that), and late night comedian Stephen Colbert, who was born and raised in South Carolina but purposely lost his accent because he it saw it as a stereotype in film and television of slow and stupid characters. Personally I can't imagine either of them speaking in any other accent.
I think there are some language boards in western Europe that convene semi-regularly to decide acceptable words and usage, though what their exact purpose is I can only imagine. Maybe an authority on certain language texts and reference materials? You can't really dictate to people how they are supposed to speak, at least not in personal conversation. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | ||
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| 08-11-10 07:49pm - 5247 days | #23 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
The population of France is approximately 65 million (from the Internet). So French speaking people number somewhat above that figure, I suppose. So, why do commercial movie DVDs in the United States have both an English and a French warning that it is illegal to copy a DVD, and you can get a fine of $250,000 plus a 5-year prison term for illegally copying a DVD? 65 million people is a lot, but the number of Spanish speaking people is many times that figure (Spanish, or some variation, is used in Spain and most of Central and South America and Mexico and elsewhere. So why put a French warning on DVDs sold in the USA? Putting it in Spanish makes a lot more sense. Or even putting it in Chinese, since you have a billion people living in mainland China (but I don't know how many speak the main dialect in China, or are able to read the main written dialect, or if there is a difference in the written dialects of China). But to put a written version of a DVD warning in French makes little sense. How many people in the USA are able to read and understand French? Well, you have French-speaking people in Canada. But is that enough reason to put a DVD warning in French? I guess so, but what about Mexico, Central America, and South America? Are we going to be sending missionaries to those regions to teach them French, so they can read the DVD warning page? That is one reason the Internet is so important, so we can spread a common language so that everyone knows the danger of illegally copying a DVD. End of rambling rant. | |
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| 08-11-10 07:55pm - 5247 days | #24 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Good question. Maybe French speakers are rabid film fans and constitute a big DVD market? Ethnocentrism by the film industry? I really don't know. Hmm, maybe a conspiracy of an unknown French speaking cabal of film buffs? It's all making sense now... "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-11-10 09:29pm - 5247 days | #25 | |
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slutty (0)
Active User Posts: 475 Registered: Mar 02, '09 Location: Pennsylvania |
lk2fireone, at the end of the Blu-Ray I have of Sunshine is the same FBI warning in what I must imagine to be the 50 or so most common languages in the world - many of which I couldn't even recognize. Of course I think the answer to both of these odities lies in DVD regions, since Blu-rays are usually region-free they probably print the warning for every major language, however the DVD you were watching was probably Region 1, which is pretty much only the United States and Canada - so French and English are the only two "official" languages associated with that region. Further, French in general gets some special treatment as aren't the official languages of the Olymipcs English, French, and the home country language? Bunny Lebowski: I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars. Brandt: Ah hahahahaha! Wonderful woman. We're all, we're all very fond of her. Very free-spirited. | |
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| 08-12-10 01:31am - 5246 days | #26 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
Wow! Good word...... I'll have to work that one into a conversation somehow. Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-12-10 03:23pm - 5246 days | #27 | |
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pat362 (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,575 Registered: Jan 23, '07 Location: canada |
I'm old school writing which means that I will go out of my way to write long sentences whenever I get the chance. It's probably because I didn't do that much writing when I was going to school. This means that I don't text because I'd never be able to keep up with anyone doing text speak. The biggest problem I see with anyone that uses text speak is that if you used it all the time than sooner or later you will start to lose regular speak. Writing is like any language. If you don't use it regularly then you lose it. I remember hearing on a radio talk show a few years ago that University professors can't use proper grammar rules or spelling to rate student papers because most if not all the classes would fail. A good part was due to text speak. Long live the Brown Coats. | |
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| 08-12-10 03:40pm - 5246 days | #28 | |
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pat362 (0)
Active User Posts: 3,575 Registered: Jan 23, '07 Location: canada |
One of the reasons why you have both French and English warnings on DVD is possibly because of Canada. We are enormous DVD purchasers. Canada has 2 official languages so pretty much everything has to be in both languages. If a studio chooses to release a movie in Canada then they usually have it translated in at least French & Spanish. You could argue that the warning should also be in Spanish if for no other reason than there is a large Spanish speaking population in the US. I guess maybe one day we will see it in 3 languages. For now movies coming to Canada usually offer English and french translation. It makes it easier if all the studios adopt one version to their dvd's so that they don't have to spend money to do a different one. An advantage to the 2 languages on a DVD is that US DVD's can be copied with very little changes and still satisfy all the French & English speaking customers overseas. Long live the Brown Coats. | |
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| 08-12-10 04:39pm - 5246 days | #29 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
Yeah, I sort of figured it had something to do with you guys up north--always causing some trouble, eh? I doubt Spanish would be officiated as a language in the U.S. anytime soon though, no matter what percentage of the speakers make up the population. Our political leaders' stubborn (not to mention blatantly racist) approach to anything that even hints at being foreign is not exactly a warm greeting with open arms. Hell, many Americans still struggle communicating in just English (me no speak English good sometimes too  ), so having to deal with even more exposure to some "foreigner's speak" would probably drive them over the edge. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-12-10 05:10pm - 5246 days | #30 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
In Los Angeles, you go into the Department of Motor Vehicles (to get your license renewed or whatever), they have official signs in English, Spanish, Korean, and a bunch of other languages. You go into Social Security (which is federal), or a state office, and they usually have a printed notice stating that anyone needing an interpreter will be furnished one (to do whatever business they need to do at that office). Los Angeles has a large Spanish-speaking population, but they also have largish concentrations of people who speak Chinese, Korean, Russian, almost anything you can think of. And these residents/citizens/whatever are catered to by furnishing translators who speak their language, paid for by the county, state, federal government, etc. You go into a low-price fast food restaurant, like McDonalds, Burger King, the guy who takes your order might be barely able to speak English. English is a second language for many of the people who live in Los Angeles. That's been true for many years. | |
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| 08-12-10 10:06pm - 5246 days | #31 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
They may take our McDonalds and our Burger Kings, but they'll never take our freedom!  (Where would we be without cheesy Braveheart references? ) "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove | |
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| 08-13-10 01:54am - 5245 days | #32 | |
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RagingBuddhist (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 893 Registered: Jan 23, '07 |
 Sarcasm is a body's natural defense against stupidity. | |
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| 08-13-10 02:44am - 5245 days | #33 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
Nicely done! Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-13-10 08:18am - 5245 days | #34 | |
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lk2fireone (0)
Active User Posts: 3,618 Registered: Nov 14, '08 Location: CA |
I second that. Very impressive demonstration of computer coding, RagingBuddhist. | |
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| 08-13-10 09:08am - 5245 days | #35 | |
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messmer (0)
Disabled User  Posts: 2,582 Registered: Sep 12, '07 Location: Canada |
Man, I wish I were able to do stuff like that, RB! | |
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| 08-13-10 01:07pm - 5245 days | #36 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
Cheesy is as cheesy does. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-13-10 02:00pm - 5245 days | #37 | |
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Wittyguy (0)
Active User Posts: 1,138 Registered: Feb 04, '08 Location: Left Coast, USA |
Shifting back to my original point, that text speak isn't the end of the world - just a possible omen of it, the real danger is technology that has driven text speak. The whole news cycle (or lack thereof any more), the video game / porn / you-tube / internet crazed masses, the hundreds of other distractions (isn't multitasking pretty much mandatory today); all of this eats away at what has been defined as "civilization". It is a society that is fed by the eternal search for something new, novel and now; not the bigger questions. Here's a quote from TheAtlantic.com regarding a possible post literate future (although his reference to masturbation is somewhat amusing if not cryptic): "Streams -- on AM radio, CNN, Ustream, or some future platform -- are products of seconds; they reflect the passions and occupations of a moment. Perhaps valuable in their own way, necessary for some things, but deeply attached to an instant. Streams say, "This is." They rarely have time to ask, "Why is this?" And they never seem to have time to answer that question. Books are objects defined by how much time it takes to craft them -- and to consume them. They cannot be taken in at a glance. They are the distillation of many moments and states of consciousness for writer and reader alike. They slow us down and hold us steady. Books are technologies, too, and if we look at them that way, we should be amazed at how "sticky" they are, despite their lack of social media integration and bulkiness. As things, they have endured for hundreds of years while the rest of our technological society changed around them. We measure technologies by the maxim, "Does it work?" Books have worked. The stream destroys what is most precious about a literate population: the ability to briefly stand alone outside time and social relations, to have an inner life. Berkeley historian Thomas Laqueur has persuasively argued that it was the rise of books that created pervasive societal interest in and fear of masturbation, the ultimate private pleasure, the "solitary vice." Masturbation, as we know it, began in 1712, he famously argued, and it was inextricably bound to reading (or to print literacy, we might say). The slowness of books, the habits of mind they build, Shteyngart suggests, may be a key to knowing what it's like to be inside oneself, not part of the crowd or the audience or Twitterverse. "Reading is difficult," Lenny says to Eunice. "People just aren't meant to read anymore. We're in a post-literate age. You know, a visual age." | |
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| 08-13-10 04:06pm - 5245 days | #38 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
A corrolary of that is the motivation of teenagers. Tricky at the best of times, but current technology is such that anything virtual is instantly available with minimal effort. My generation had to basically entertain ourselves & be inventive & creative. There appears to be little motivation within current teenagers to make any effort or invest any time in anything other than a media which provides instant gratification. Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-13-10 06:59pm - 5245 days | #39 | |
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turboshaft (0)
Active User Posts: 1,958 Registered: Apr 01, '08 |
So it was books all along! I should have known; once I had learned to read it would only be a matter of time until I devolved into a wrist-straining miscreant!  Now I barely have the time to keep a book in my hands because they are so intimately preoccupied with other tasks. "It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without any choice. That's the way your hardcore Commie works." - Gen. Jack D. Rippper, Dr. Stranglove Edited on Aug 14, 2010, 06:43pm | |
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| 08-14-10 01:51am - 5244 days | #40 | |
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slutty (0)
Active User Posts: 475 Registered: Mar 02, '09 Location: Pennsylvania |
Cap'n, people said the same thing about television when I was a teen, but everything seems to have turned out okay for my generation. This is not to say there aren't clear problems with society, but I think the instant gratification argument fits our society as a whole right now, not just teens. I think it is very common for older generations to think the younger generation had things so much easier. However, in this case I doubt it to be true. Students today that wish to go to college try very very hard to get into good schools, something that was much easier to do even in my generation. I honestly think a lot of the problems the teens of today are faced with can easily be blamed on the parents rather than the teens. The parents want abstinence only education - shocker the kids get pregnant, the parents don't believe in evolution - shocker the kids are ignorant. I feel like the media and MTV then go around portraying these teens in a poor light, but who is really to blame? It certainly isn't technology. If someone wants to text and "lose the vowels" go ahead, these are messages between friends, not fucking novels. Is it that much different than the shorthand used by court reporters, or for that matter used to pass notes in class when I was in school. Sorry for sounding irritable, but I guaren-fucken-tee you, kids today don't have it nearly as easy as you think they do. It is very hard to get into college these days, and I have spoken with many students who were intelligent and well spoken who couldn't even get into Penn State. And while they may not be as well read as you'd like them to be, I bet most of them are much better off in math, chemistry, physics, and biology than you were when you left high school. Edit: P.S. I had a few to many Fat Tires (beers) tonight, so please dont' take offense, I mean none, and I am drunk! Bunny Lebowski: I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars. Brandt: Ah hahahahaha! Wonderful woman. We're all, we're all very fond of her. Very free-spirited. Edited on Aug 14, 2010, 01:59am | |
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| 08-14-10 03:39am - 5244 days | #41 | |
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mbaya (0)
Suspended  Posts: 891 Registered: Jul 07, '08 Location: new jersey |
I am of the generation that went to college in the 60's and I must disagree that it was easier to get into college then. It is true there were fewer students, BUT there was a big building boom in the late 60s and early 70s where colleges added a lot of buildings and more classrooms. Also, the philosophy arose that going to college should be for everyone and community colleges expanded greatly. The rules for entrance into community college right now, today, are that they legally must accept any high school graduate that applies. What is true is it was always difficult to get into the top schools. However, now almost anyone can go to college somewhere. I am an adjunct professor of English and I can tell you that our general opinion is that the proficiency in language skills has deteriorated. I mostly teach freshman English writing along with ESL writing and find that the average student would have been considered remedial level in the 60s. Don't be confused that grades are higher as we in academia are guilty of grade creep. It is much, much easier to get an A now than it was then. College admissions officers know this and readily admit this fact. By the way I am not particularly bothered by text speak as long as they also can use standard English properly. | |
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| 08-14-10 11:28am - 5244 days | #42 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
I wasn't actually 'having a go' at anyone in particular. The 'blame' for the current situation lies with all present generations. Some for doing things, some for not doing things and some for allowing things not to be done.  Errors of omission & comission. Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-14-10 11:55pm - 5244 days | #43 | |
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slutty (0)
Active User Posts: 475 Registered: Mar 02, '09 Location: Pennsylvania |
I agree with you mbaya, that generally English proficiency has decreased. All I was saying is that this is not due to text messaging. And further I don't think that the instant gratification aspect of the internet today will end up having much influence on the productivity of those that are young today. Bunny Lebowski: I'll suck your cock for a thousand dollars. Brandt: Ah hahahahaha! Wonderful woman. We're all, we're all very fond of her. Very free-spirited. | |
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| 08-15-10 01:43am - 5243 days | #44 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
Well, if your average apprentice's attention span is anything to go by it will. They are more interested in mobile phones & gadgets than applying themselves to learning. Our Training Officer's stats show that whereas 10 years ago the average drop out rate was around 1 of 6. Over the past 3 years it has been 3-4 of 6. As I said earlier, I am not blaming that generation, just reporting how things are. It is just as much our generation's fault for failing to motivate. Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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