Dear Westnet Member
Welcome! Grab a warm beverage and settle in a spot somewhere comfortable for the July edition of the Westnet Newsletter.
To say last month’s musings on customer service roused a bit of feedback would be an understatement indeed! Thanks to everyone who took the time to send in their own experiences with service (both good and bad) and also for the tips on how to ensure you get service with a smile.
This month, we’re inviting you to send in turns-of-phrase which irritate you, or instances of incorrect use of language. Here are a few we thought of just to get your mind ticking over:
- Should of (should have)
- Arks (ask)
- Everythink (everything)
We could go on!
So let’s get into what you can expect this month. There’s the usual inside-look of what’s going on in the world of technology and this beautiful thing we call the internet – plus a number of stories you might find helpful or interesting.
There are two movie competitions this month; passes to see the action film G.I. JOE: The Rise of the Cobra as well as the chance to see the battle of the sexes on the silver screen, The Ugly Truth.
Posted by Marika Mazzucchelli
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
The whole SMS vernacular! My daughter just texted me “im gna b l8 4 t”.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:40 am
Yes, I can’t believe she refused to capitalize the I.
And is she REALLY a 8 pound goanna who has reached 40 years of age?
Hey World – Remind of the purpose of interpersonal communication again? It appears to have changed from ‘an exchange of understandable ideas’ – and I didn’t get a memo.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Also:
People using “ur” as an abbreviation “Your” and “You’re”, instead of learning the difference (you know, ’cause it’s SO hard to remember).
Guess what, lazy spellers? “ur” ACTUALLY means “you’re”, and has done for AT LEAST 10 years – on account of the letters U and R standing in for the words You and Are.
Yes, people were well into the digital/text world LONG before it was cool, and they had their own culture – and you’re (if the cap fits) just showing them how lazy ‘ur’. And you’re STILL using the wrong you’re. If people got Yaw and Yore mixed up, okay – because they are specialist words which people don’t use every day…But Jeez – take some pride in your language skills. If you have any, that is.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I understand that language may evolve and change, but illiteracy is illiteracy and that’s that.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:01 am
And how in the name of Hades can people mix up “then” and “than”? (i.e. Faster ‘then’ light – NO.)
And what happened to Capitalization, anyway?
And when did it actually become standard business practise to include spelling mistakes and typos? I’m looking directly at you, The Advocate. Yeah, whatever – think of all the money you’ve saved by not hiring proof readers…A NEWSPAPER with recurring typos is not something to strive for. Still, I’ve never made a newspaper.
Hacing said that – If I did, I’d make sure the right words were used. I notice that they always spell the Sportspersons names correctly…
(Having said THAT – I have respect for the Editor, I just think his financial hands are tied by Harris Publishing – whom the true blame could rest on. Shame on you for lowering the standard. Still, you’re probably on a yacht somewhere, laughing at us who have actually paid for the yacht if you think about it.)
Well…If anyone else cares, please add more stuff – I think the Spam Police are at the door and they say that any more posts would technically be flaming the world at large…It’s like the movie Idiocracy is a documentary…
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Oh! This is a huge pet-hate of mine.
I don’t agree with the argument of having a limited number of characters in a single SMS so shortening words is necessary – I rarely get an SMS which would have taken the full character limit if spelt out correctly, so iin my opinion it’s always a result of laziness (or the new generation of kiddies).
- Marika
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Thank goodness for this opportunity. I am so disillusioned at the abundant mispronunciation and misuse of our great language. For instance:
It seems that we now live in Austraya (have lost the ‘li’). We cannot say ‘particularly’ we say particuly, can’t say definitely, we say definly, similarly, ‘actually’ is pronounced acshly, ‘probably’ is pronounced ‘probly’, etc., in the same vein.
Another is “in one fell swoop” now it is given as “in one foul swoop”.
‘Dove’ American for dived (into a swimming pool). No such word as ‘dove’ except as the bird.
“Come’ as in “he come home” which of course should read as “he came home”.
“I am going to lay down” which should read as “I am going to lie down”.
I could go on and on. What has happened to the teaching of our language these days? I find it absolutely appalling to hear and read bad grammar, spelling (the infamous apostrophe ’s’, so incorrectly used constantly) in our media. The media at one time would never have published bad grammar, spelling or pronunciation.
Again, thak you for the opportunity to get this off my chest, as it has been consuming me of late.