I realize that with a degree in English and one in law, I'm probably overly picky and/or critical about imprecision in the use of language. However, the following is a quote from a story I spotted while surfing a mainstream news site today:

"SAGINAW, Mich. -- A former Michigan middle school band teacher has admitted that she had sexual contact with six male students in a deal with prosecutors."

What the hell is the prosecutor doing making deals with teachers to allow them to have sex with students? What do they get in exchange?

Jeepers, I wonder if editor positions even exist any more.

(snicker snicker)

"I wonder if editor positions even exist any more"

Only in the Kama Sutra.

Stream of conscious writing. Happens when reporters do deadline work for that day's paper. But a good city editor should certainly catch it.

Apart from that, journalism doesn't follow all the rules of good grammar, if that makes any sense. Write everything 9th grade level. Break the rules of grammar if it results in a clearer sentence. You follow the AP Style Book, which is not the handbook of great literature.

It's not so much bad form as journalistic economy. I understood the headline. If "proper" English were still being used, we'd be referring to one another as 'thee' and 'thou.'

I can't stand hearing someone who is looking for a stapler, and when they see it, they then exclaim, "There it go" . . .

That's the 1st time I've heard that particulr idiom. Must be regional.

People changing subject buy saying "anyways" is the one that irritates me. Not far from here there is a little area that could be called "the land that langauge forgot" you hear gems like.

"Throw that horse over the fence some hay".

"What are youz guys doing"

"Pulled the trigger on the gun and BOOM she said!"

And two things aren't side by side, they are "side by each".

If you can't decided between two things, you take "boat-ub-dem".

I'll stop now, my blood pressure is spiking.

Language peculiarities don't bother me that much. Years ago I was taking a class in computer science at the local JC, and the class was held in China Town in a church. The teacher was from China (an 'Asian American' for Rick and others born before 1900) and had an atrocious accent. I asked a few questions during the first lecture, and after class, a few of my classmates (all of who were Asian except for me) asked to look at my notes, saying they couldn't understand a word the guy had said.

I did rather well my first couple years of high school. Last couple years I partied and got the grades I needed to acquire my diploma.

Anyway... I learned spelling, punctuation and grammar during my middle school years and thought I had perfected them during my HS years.

Then in 1996 I went to work for an English major. I learned a few more things by the end of that year.

*8track, the 2nd paragraph I started with anyways just for you... because we're buddies*

My brother and I were discussing the English language, and I expressed my dismay at how few people can actually speak properly. I was making fun of my ex-husband, who though he would appear more thuggish if he spoke in street slang. My brother turned to me and literally tipped his head back so he could look down his nose at me as he said (in his best affected Garrison Keillor accent), "I prefer to use language in all its forms." Yeah, you Jabba the Hutt looking long haired white guy living in a tiny little town in Southern Minnesota, you're using language in all of its forms. Ugh.

#4 point taken, but still...at least proofread before publishing. I don't expect Shakespeare in the local dailies, but making it sound like prosecutors are pimping school kids is beyond absurd. Unless, of course, it's true. Then I suppose you've just missed the bigger story.

#11 LOL.

I thought I had a good grasp on English. Then I travelled a bit, and learned that I'm simply speaking American.

so many dialects, so much diversity.

Pacman,

I spend a bit of time on this website. Check it out. Much to learn.

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/ 

I read a great book by Steven Pinker of MIT about this very subject, entitled "The Language Instinct." the book makes some good points. Because language constantly 'evolves' or changes, there's never really any proper usage, except for what Pinker calls the 'language mavens.' Language mavens are like pointy nosed, bunn wearing librarians who sniff and scoff at lack of proper usage, which is a myth. Proper is defined by any number of competing consensus groups, who all differ on proper usage even among themselves.

One example is BEV, black english vernacular, or what racists will pounce on and put down as ebonics. Ebomics, according to Pinker, is as much a developed and sophistiacted language as Castillian Spanish in its nuance, semantics, and acceptable usage within the community that uses it.

Deaf people, who have grown up in generations of deaf parents and grandparents have been interviewed to show that sign language is, for them, the only really proper use of language, and that non-deaf speakers of language are the true real abusers. To each their own I guess. But honestly, I had no trouble understanding the context of the headline at the beginning of this thread. It was clear and unambiguous.

I've got a fairly good grasp on the English spoken in Singapore, however when a couple folks get talking very fast I tend to get lost sometimes.

The words are all the same, it's the pace, rhythm, and the structure that will blow your mind. And it's not that THEY are pronounciating a word wrong, it's that I have always been doing so I guess.

In Australia, I get these glazed looks of admiration from cute little women in the shopping mall clothing stores as I chat with them. They are amazed and attracted to my "accent" and "language." A couple of weeks ago, I was in the US with a colleague however from Australia, and all the cute little shopping mall girls were wooing him.

An Englishman friend of mine came over from London a week ago for a meeting. When he got on the phone to call his wife, he broke off into his Manchester-speak. I was totally lost.

jetblasted

in the movie "searching for bobby fisher, the good genius chess kid is playing the bad genius chess kid.

samuel l jackson plays a street gambler/chess player, and

ben kingsley plays the old style chess player.

during one of the chess games played in the park, jackson is playing the "kid." jackson says "why are you playing like that?" the "kid" says "that is what my teacher taught me to do." jackson responds with "he's teaching you how not to lose. play to win."

fade to the final championship game. the family and ben and samuel are watching the kids play. half way through the game jackson starts yelling "play the man, play the man."

the kid brings his queen out to where it is vulnerable.

kingsley says "bad move. it's going to cost him the game."

two or three moves later, samuel yells, "there he goes. there he goes."

i won't finish because someone may want to see the movie.

charlie and i might agree with this one. excellent movie. 7 1/2 stars out of 10, IMDB, 100% approval, rotten tomatoes, 4 stars and thumbs up, roger ebert.

if you want a movie that is exciting and warm children should be 5 or above to understand it, this one is one of the best.

roger ebert about searching for bobby fisher

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs .

dll/article?AID=/19930811/REVIEWS/

308110301/1023

opps laurence fishburne not samuel l jackson.

and people that merge onto the interstate at 40 mph really tick me off . . . Especially when I am behind them . . .