Illegible posting

[madame_zora]

I'm glad this come up, and from a newer member. We talk about it from time to time but as new members join, they haven't read the older conversations.

The purpose of posting on a message board is to communicate. If someone who can spell and punctuate simply does not bother, then why would I bother to put any effort into a response? Usually I'll ignore the post, or if I'm cranky I'll make fun of it. If someone thinks they pwned me because I made fun of their bad grammar, then that's someone I'm pretty sure I'll never have any interest in communicating with anyway.

IF someone is doing their best but their spelling is not stellar, you'll never see a word coming from me about it. This includes both those for whom English is not their native language as well as native speakers who just don't spell well. How do I tell the difference between those and the lazy ones? Simple- read more than one post. You can get a lot from the issues they bring up and the tone of their posts. Are they bringing up serious issues, or just trying to create chaos? If someone makes a serious post and it contains a few errors, so what? Perhaps they are nervous about saying what they're saying and they didn't remember to edit, or they're just not a great speller to begin with. They are still deserving of help and feedback. If they're just bitching and whining, then they should be able to operate the simple functions a computer offers. Unlike spoken conversation, you have an unlimited amount of time in which to construct your posts, a preview option, and a whole hour to edit your post even after it's posted. Please use those things so we can all understand each other better.

Thank you, please drive through.:tongue:

 

[D_N Flay Table]

I have terrible spelling.
And LPSG has no spell check! If I ever have anything important to say, I will do it in word, spellcheck, the paste it here.
But I'm dyslexic, and a victim of the los angels unified skuul distrikt.

 

[B_big dirigible]

But I'm dyslexic

That's normally considered to be a reading problem. Is it a typing problem too?

 

[madame_zora]

To investigate the factors determining why some children succeed at certain intellectual tasks while others of equal or near equal IQ, age, and motivation are unable to master the same task, 145 female and 144 male eighth grade students were administered "An Inventory of Piaget's Developmental Tasks" (IPDT). Labeled as concrete, operational, transitional, or formal operational thinkers according to inventory scores, the students were then given one of two grammar tests. Findings revealed significant correlation between grammar test scores, Piagetian stages, and IQ scores--indicating first, that the Piagetian stage as revealed by the IPDT is useful in predicting grammar test scores, especially when considered with IQ; and, second, that the task of identifying simple subjects and predicates is too difficult for most of the eighth grade students, including 47% of the students at the formal operations level, and a total of 74% of all students who took the test. The findings support Piaget's principle that children's cognitive development is a limiting factor in what they can learn at any given time. Results suggest that the abstract quality of grammar rules makes them too difficult for eighth grade students. (MM)

The Interaction of Piagetian Stages of Development in Early Adolescents, IQ Levels and Other Variables in Predicting Success on a Grammar Task.


Eighth graders can't identify a subject and verb? Scary!

First, let me make myself clear, the jury is still very much out on this issue. The main reason is that there is more than one type of "intelligence", which was not fully considered until the last twenty years. When I was in college, the dictionary definition of being able to acquire and apply knowledge as measured by objective criteria was universal. We didn't fully understand that no criteria is completely objective, nor that the types of intelligence measured my most IQ tests (spatial, language, logic) are not an exclusive list.

Kasso- despite your claim, it is more likely that you are insecure about being judged for your actual writing ability, so you write sloppy to give yourself a defense. The sad thing is that by letting others critique us, we get better. After being here almost two years, a friend of mine here presented me with a list of words I was regularly mispelling. Now, I type (and write) using British spellings in many cases and there are a couple words like "nomatter" that aren't really words, but I use them anyway. I'm talking about actual mispellings though. I wrote existance for existence, and several others. I've just been out of school for a very long time with nobody around to correct my spelling. It was very helpful. You might want to try opening up a little, because if you really do have weaker grammar skills, it won't just go away and you'll always feel "less than" when trying to communicate with others using the written word.

If I'm wrong and you're really just that icky combination of arrogant and ignorant, ignore my post.

DJG, I am also dyslexic. The good news is that you grow out of it to some degree MUCH later on, but I still spend more time editing than typing.:tongue: I couldn't read maps until I was well into my 30s.

 

[madame_zora]

That's normally considered to be a reading problem. Is it a typing problem too?

I have just been reading the newer opinions on this, and I'm aghast. It's a HELL of a lot more than a reading problem, but I'm sure there are many sources which call it that.

 

[DC_DEEP]

Thank you DC. That paragraph from the TOS does a much better job of illustrating my point.

You don't need to be an award winning author, just make an effort.

Well, I just thought I would bring it up. Reading, understanding, and agreeing to the Terms of Service is actually a condition of membership, is it not? If it isn't, it should be. I mean, why else even have a ToS?

 

[B_big dirigible]

I have just been reading the newer opinions on this, and I'm aghast. It's a HELL of a lot more than a reading problem, but I'm sure there are many sources which call it that.

It's fashionably used as a blanket excuse for all sorts of things, but I've never seen it formally defined in such a way. All definitions I've seen (and I make no claims to be a serious student of the problem) state it in terms of reading difficulties.

 

[B_big dirigible]

Well, I just thought I would bring it up. Reading, understanding, and agreeing to the Terms of Service is actually a condition of membership, is it not? If it isn't, it should be. I mean, why else even have a ToS?

It isn't part of the signup procedure, and isn't even linked from the forum FAQ. These little shortcomings have been mentioned before.

 

[B_big dirigible]

After being here almost two years, a friend of mine here presented me with a list of words I was regularly mispelling.

That was thoughtful. Why wait for two years, though?

 

[Big Dreamer]

That was thoughtful. Why wait for two years, though?

He wanted to see her use every word once. It takes a while to get through them all.

 

[B_Think_Kink]

to the original poster


stfu


No but seriously, the spelling is nuts here. I've never been good at grammar, I like to stick comma's wherever my little heart desires, but I try and remember to spell check before I post. Not everyone does though apparently.

 

[madame_zora]

That was thoughtful. Why wait for two years, though?

Haha, HE hadn't been here two years! It was Dilznick, who's been coming back around of late. It was a little embarrassing (I used to use one "r" in that one), but ultimately a very fine gift. I wouldn't really wish to continue misspelling words in a manner that would just make me look stupid.

It's fashionably used as a blanket excuse for all sorts of things, but I've never seen it formally defined in such a way. All definitions I've seen (and I make no claims to be a serious student of the problem) state it in terms of reading difficulties.

Yes, despite having it, I'm not a dedicated student myself. In truth, I think it would be difficult to be a serious student because very little research has been done. You are right in that it is an umbrella for a fairly wide variety of issues whose symptoms are exposed through reading and writing, but symptoms are not causes.

Dyslexia cannot be understood until it is properly defined, but the issue to which I am referring is one of patterns. This issue becomes more apparent in a language such as English, where patterns are so frequently excepted.
After Dilz told me the words I misspelled, I immediately called Danny (DMW) to ask him what rule I could apply to understand what I'd gotten wrong, and he said "none". I was crushed. Without a pattern, I can't make sense of it. Tells you a lot about how I think, eh? I'm fantastic at identifying and using patterns and grids, but things that don't fit into neat little bundles throw me off. Dyslexics will frequently be better at geometry than algebra because it's visual and fits patterns. We'll usually lose it on algebra when letters are substituted for numbers, which our brains have all be trained to recognise as tools of language. For a dyslexic, retraining our brains to think of letters and numbers together in math is just something we can't do, at least until we're much older adults. We can't tell if letters are frontwards or backwards half the time, it makes algebra insane. By the time we're older, we've just forced ourselves to memorise the things we need to know to get around in the world. More traditional learning styles are easier to understand once our comprehension style has been more socialised.

There may never be enough money available in the public school systems to make any proper study of dyslexia feasible. What they found twenty years ago is that there are just some people with different sets of instilled boundaries and rules. To teach them in a way that they could understand would take a lot of individual time and attention- two things schools don't have. Why study something you have not the power to fix?

Well, I just thought I would bring it up. Reading, understanding, and agreeing to the Terms of Service is actually a condition of membership, is it not? If it isn't, it should be. I mean, why else even have a ToS?

I would have given ANYTHING to make that happen. I think EVERY member here, new and old, should have to click a box that says they've read it and agree to abide by it. You are right- it's useless without that. Please start a thread and let's get some new moderator input on this. As I recall, we never came to a conclusion about it when I was a mod, although it did come up- we just didn't follow through. It was a crazy, crazy time to be getting anything done then. It's a lot calmer now, thankfully.

 

[Big Dreamer]

to the original poster


stfu


No but seriously, the spelling is nuts here. I've never been good at grammar, I like to stick comma's wherever my little heart desires, but I try and remember to spell check before I post. Not everyone does though apparently.

The spelling is nuts in here because some people choose for it to be. You bring up a good point with spell check. There are plenty of online dictionary sites that can help anyone who gives the slightest shit.

And lighten up on the stfu, TK. You weren't one of the ones in question, as the whole point of this was target the extreme and intentional abusers. Also, I wrote a poem about you in your tribute thread, so be nice. :biggrin1:

 

[B_Think_Kink]

The spelling is nuts in here because some people choose for it to be. You bring up a good point with spell check. There are plenty of online dictionary sites that can help anyone who gives the slightest shit.

And lighten up on the stfu, TK. You weren't one of the ones in question, as the whole point of this was target the extreme and intentional abusers. Also, I wrote a poem about you in your tribute thread, so be nice. :biggrin1:

Oh hun... I was totally kidding. I was trying to mock the chat speak around here, no capitalization, and common sense errors. :tongue:

 

[Big Dreamer]

As far as forcing acknowledgement of reading the ToS, I think it's a great idea, but don't hold your breath as far as it making a difference. The type of people that continually get slammed for not adhering to the principles and rules of the site are also the type of people that don't give a fuck about the rules of the site. They habitually make NO changes to their posting approach after moderators and long term posters have pointed out violations.

The only way it would hold any value would be to make banning less problematic. As in "you knew the rules and broke them habitually, so fuck off and get lost".

 

[B_Think_Kink]

This might have been the only site I read the ToS for.. usually I just click and go, I don't have time to sit there and read that. Nor do I usually care. Especially when it is for software, freeware, etc. I want it to work, and be usable in to smallest amount of time.

Maybe if we could set up a reading test to make sure people got and read the rules. Oh... in the perfect world.

 

[Ethyl]

A few misspelled words won't make me cringe. What bothers me more than anything is poor reading comprehension. If you're going to comment on someone's post, please read it carefully before doing so.

 

[Big Dreamer]

A few misspelled words won't make me cringe. What bothers me more than anything is poor reading comprehension. If you're going to comment on someone's post, please read it carefully before doing so.

Some people get convenient mental blocks when trying to comprehend a post that either doesn't support their theories, or interferes with their actual (hidden) agenda.

 

[Lordpendragon]

English is my second language. It could be Alex' third.

 

[D_alex8]

English is my second language. It could be Alex' third.

That's why I only post smileys these days.

It's well known that I suffer actual physical pain as a consequence of some of the "your/you're, there/their/they're, would have/would of, who's/whose" mix-ups in members' posts.

The erroneous placement of apostrophes is less of a concern, since the extra ones posted by people who can't form plurals tend to be evened out by all the absent ones in posts which seek but fail to contain a possessive construction. :wink: