<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.3207.2500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>Bill, this is an interesting line of thought. Given = the products of our current public school systems, it seems highly likely, = but we must not allow that to happen. When people become lazy with their = spelling and grammar, an important tool of communication becomes degraded. I think we = have more that enough trouble communicating as it is. But, if the public = school system is allowed to sanction things like "Ebonics", which is basically = street slang, then yes, all will be lost. Some of us are fighting to not allow = that to happen. Just my (serious) two cents worth.</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:Billbrpt@AOL.COM" = title=Billbrpt@AOL.COM>Billbrpt@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, November 20, 2000 = 10:17 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: re spelling, = grammar</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2>In a message dated 11/20/00 11:51:58 AM = Central Standard Time, <BR><A href="mailto:dnereson@dimensional.com">dnereson@dimensional.com</A> = (Dave Nereson) <BR>writes: <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">I guess my beef about spelling and grammar is that when = it's bad, especially <BR>in printed matter like the Journal or even in = the bylaws or exam manuals, <BR>it makes us look unedjamacated, when one one of = the goals of PTG is to <BR>increase the professional image of the piano technician.   On this list, it <BR>doesn't matter so much, = I guess,   since e-mail is here today and deleted = <BR>tomorrow.   It's just that I've noticed a dramatic increase in bad = spelling <BR>everywhere in recent years, including among doctors and other professional <BR>types.  At first I thought it was just the = Gen-Xers and the decline in <BR>quality of teaching in public schools, or too = much emphasis on computers <BR>and reliance on spell-checkers instead of = a solid grounding in the "three <BR>R's", but it's becoming ubiquitous of = late. </FONT><FO! lang=0 FACE="Arial" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="3" = COLOR="#000000" NT !></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial = lang=0 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>I also feel that good language use is = important but there are many who will <BR>outwardly say that they really don't care. =  I think the increase that you see <BR>in poor writing is because you're = seeing *more* writing.  The computer allows <BR>you to see the writing = of countless numbers of people whose writing you may <BR>not ever have = otherwise seen. <BR><BR>Both written and spoken language evolve because of = influences upon them.  <BR>American written English has dropped the "u" from = "color" and "honor", and it <BR>is common to see "night" as "nite", "light" as = "lite", "through" as "thru", <BR>"plough" as "plow", "doughnut" as "donut", = etc.  These changes mostly <BR>occurred in the last 50 years. =  Just think what kind of influence computers, <BR>which are still very new to most = people, has had on the way people write in <BR>cryptic shorthand. <BR><BR>I = think we're in for some revamping of the entire system and that in say 30 = <BR>years or so, reading the Journal of today will be about as foreign as = reading <BR>Shakespeare or the King James Bible is for us today.  Soon, = "I thought I <BR>heard him coughing throughout the night" will be = written, "I thot I herd him <BR>koffing thruout the nite".  People will stop complaining about it and accept <BR>it. <BR><BR>Bill Bremmer RPT = <BR>Madison, Wisconsin <BR><BR>P.S.  Even my spell checker had no problem with = "lite", "thru" and "plow".</FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>