Spelling and grammer

[Slyer]

I'm not saying I know how to "set a broken bone", "design a building" or "plan an invasion" but there is no reason why I couldn't learn these types of skills. Would you like to know how to do these things? Would knowing them make you an overall better at other stuff too? Yeah, cross-training is awesome.

Of course I would. I've taught myself loads of different skills that I don't need to know for my profession.
I can see where he is coming from but he ruins it by saying that "Specialization is for insects." Specialisation is for people too...

[jrandom]

It is scarcely surprising that, in the few schools that continue to teach it, Latin struggles to justify its existence against strong opposition from other departments. Tempora mutantur, indeed. Time was when "education" meant the classics and very little else.
But I don't fully accept the "nos mutamur in illis" unless by "we" you mean society in general. Not all change is progress, and I'm quite happy to be labelled a dinosaur for refusing to go along with the trend.

Not learning Latin is about the only genuine regret I have as a result of never going to high school.

(You will recall that I dropped out of the education system in Form 2.)

Anyway, New Year's Eve will soon transit, so remember, folks, there's no gloria in drinking until you're mundi sic.

[Edbear]

Quite so. The ideal is to be a jack of all trades, and a master of one (or a few)

Yeah, it's that mastering bit I'm having trouble with...

In regards to the'" improvement'comment I made I was thinking along the lines of people who are bad spellers......my son may be dyslexic but it's too soon to tell for sure.His biological father is dyslexic.
I found it helps to say ""this is left"" and point left.Then he knew exactly what way we needed to go (when following map directions).Hell I had learning difficulties as a child and I don't think the way most of you would.My understanding of a situation or comments can be miles out of the ball park in comparison to others.I don't often reach the same conclusion because I have read the information differently.This is a challenge to explain!!

Had to chuckle! My wife is not dyslexic and reads very well, although her writing is funny. I laughed so hard it hurt when we went away to Waiheke for our anniversary recently. She was standing at the foot f the bed with a puzzled and confused look on her face, gesturing and turning around and around.

I said, "What on Earth are you doing?" She was confused about which side of the bed she should sleep on as the bed was against the opposite wall to our place, and therefore the "wrong way around"!

[Okey Dokey]

Many women need to turn a map so that the road they are looking at is in alignment with the road they are on. For some evolutionary/biological reason, gals are much worse at rotating 3 dimensional objects in their heads than men. Orientating oneself to a bed is a new twist!

[Ixion]

The fact that you can quote Terence in the original marks you as one of those hopelessly over-educated relics of the past. The decline (and inevitable demise) of Latin as a school subject in this country reflects the changed perception of education. Latin is not an easy subject to master, requiring concentrated effort over a long period of time. Its benefits are not immediately apparent, and cannot be linked directly to any vocation (other than teaching Latin!) It is scarcely surprising that, in the few schools that continue to teach it, Latin struggles to justify its existence against strong opposition from other departments. Tempora mutantur, indeed. Time was when "education" meant the classics and very little else.
But I don't fully accept the "nos mutamur in illis" unless by "we" you mean society in general. Not all change is progress, and I'm quite happy to be labelled a dinosaur for refusing to go along with the trend.

Well, mutamur is not the imperative (passive present first person plural ?- maybe - too long ago. Passive, anyway). So it does not mean that you MUST change. Rather that, nolens volens, you will be changed by the changing times. Some may resist more than others. Be not the first by whom the new are tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside. (Interestingly Pope would be failed by a modern English teacher for the 'are tried' )

[Edbear]

The fact that you can quote Terence in the original marks you as one of those hopelessly over-educated relics of the past. The decline (and inevitable demise) of Latin as a school subject in this country reflects the changed perception of education. Latin is not an easy subject to master, requiring concentrated effort over a long period of time. Its benefits are not immediately apparent, and cannot be linked directly to any vocation (other than teaching Latin!) It is scarcely surprising that, in the few schools that continue to teach it, Latin struggles to justify its existence against strong opposition from other departments. Tempora mutantur, indeed. Time was when "education" meant the classics and very little else.
But I don't fully accept the "nos mutamur in illis" unless by "we" you mean society in general. Not all change is progress, and I'm quite happy to be labelled a dinosaur for refusing to go along with the trend.

I agree, not all change is progress, although in a way it is per se unless you mean progress to be for the advantage.

It is interesting to plot the history of the English language and to realise just how far back one can go before finding oneself unable to read it. (Sorry Hitcher...)

Change is inevitable due to sheer weight of numbers and while not always to the advantage will always be adapted to.

I am old school in finding modern attempts at language to grate on the nerves at times and am particularly disappointed when those who should get it right fail miserably, eg: newsreaders, teachers, government officials, etc.. Expressions such as "different to" when it should be "different from" show a lack of both logic and comprehension. Something is 'similar to' another or 'different from' the other and to say, "different to" is as illogical as saying, "similar from".

Strangely, I have little to criticise about text-speak in the context of texting or even informal emailing between friends or family, but believe it has no place in formal writing, especially in the business arena.

[Ixion]

Old English - around the 11th centruy is as far as I can go - and that only with difficulty.

Syððan wæs geworden þæt he ferde þurh þa ceastre and þæt castel: godes rice prediciende and bodiende. and hi twelfe mid. And sume wif þe wæron gehælede of awyrgdum gastum: and untrumnessum: seo magdalenisce maria ofþære seofan deoflu uteodon: and iohanna chuzan wif herodes gerefan: and susanna and manega oðre þe him of hyra spedum þenedon.

By about 1400 it is fairly modern (same passage from Luke)

And it is don, aftirward Jesus made iourne bi cites & castelis prechende & euangelisende þe rewme of god, & twelue wiþ hym & summe wymmen þat weren helid of wicke spiritis & sicnesses, marie þat is clepid maudeleyn, of whom seuene deuelis wenten out & Jone þe wif off chusi procuratour of eroude, & susanne & manye oþere þat mynystreden to hym of her facultes

Unless it was in Norman French of course, but that is not really english.

[scumdog]

Expressions such as "different to" when it should be "different from" show a lack of both logic and comprehension. Something is 'similar to' another or 'different from' the other and to say, "different to" is as illogical as saying, "similar from".

Even worse "Same difference"

How the hell can you match differences?????

[Ixion]

Easy enough. The difference between 10 and 20 is the same as the difference between 20 and 30. Same difference, 10 in each case.

[scumdog]

Easy enough. The difference between 10 and 20 is the same as the difference between 20 and 30. Same difference, 10 in each case.

Ah, but you know Mr Ixion that I'm not talking about maths, I'm talking about people looking at similar bikes (or objects) and saying "wow, same difference eh, can hardly tell them apart"


Or when asking somebody which of two (or more) objects a person wants their reply is: "It doesn't matter, same difference".

[Ixion]

The difference between those two bikes is that one is a twin and the other a single.

And the difference between those two bikes is that one is a triple and the other a four.

Same difference, different number of cylinders.

[Slyer]

"Same Difference" in the sense that Scumdog is talking about is an oxymoron, an attempt at humour thus intentionally bad England.

[MSTRS:Me]

Same difference, eh?
Reminds me of the delightful little ditty...

One fine day in the middle of the night
Two dead men got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other.

[Grahameeboy]

Yeah, it's that mastering bit I'm having trouble with...



Had to chuckle! My wife is not dyslexic and reads very well, although her writing is funny. I laughed so hard it hurt when we went away to Waiheke for our anniversary recently. She was standing at the foot f the bed with a puzzled and confused look on her face, gesturing and turning around and around.

I said, "What on Earth are you doing?" She was confused about which side of the bed she should sleep on as the bed was against the opposite wall to our place, and therefore the "wrong way around"!

At the foot of the bed...are you sure that is what she was confused about?

[Grahameeboy]

Even worse "Same difference"

How the hell can you match differences?????

I think he meant to post on "Religious Ravings!!

What we forget is that the English language has changed significantly over the ages...it is still changing and many of these grammatical issues will be long gone