There is quite a difference between the English I learned at school and how the language is often used on this site, especially on the JC forum. This article explains much of what’s behind it. Ahhh! Read at your own risk. 
Klaas Bil
This posting is, well, so, umm… revealing, really, if you follow the link.
Seriously, though, I disagree with the main point that the blending of children’s and adults linguistic constructions is a symptom of the infantilization of American culture. American culture, as a whole, tends to be culturally deficit (bankrupt might be more accurate), it is true. However, I do not subscribe to the notion that adulthood is an exclusive club to which children must gain entry by an arduous rite of passage, and that adult linguistic patterns should form part of a child-adult barrier. This notion is an historical artifact that is fading away like the value of a woman’s maidenhead or the indecipherability of a doctor’s prescription.
I’m glad this is true because I have the freedom to discuss mature topics with my 11yo daughter as the occasion arises, not after she gains entry to the “exclusive club of adulthood”, which is, after all, just a defence mechanism for insecure adults. And having mature speech tools is not a prerequisite for understanding and being able to discuss mature life topics.
Most of the time, my kid runs out of patience with the subject matter before she runs out of linguistic sophistication or understanding.
that was like stupid it is so cool to say like and write without periods or big letters so no one will understand what i try to say:)
I have to admit that I don’t talk or write English too well, but sometimes I still feel I write it better than some of the English or American people around here. And that gives me a strange feeling that something’s wrong. Or it might just be me who thinks other people make mistakes:D
That is completely, like, not real, like, for sure!! Like, no one talks like that, like, whatever.
I think people speak their ‘home’ language worst than some else that has learnt it.
For example, Joona and I!
I have not been taught English as such, i just picked it up from people around me (mum and dad). I have learnt it, but not in the same way Joona has.
Joona has been taught English with no one else around him (except class mates) speaking it. He will have learnt to speak the language properly, using the correct punctuation, and no slang words. (I am just guess here, but it is just an example)
I speak to many people from other countries on the Internet, and they speak much better than I do! I am ashamed of it! 
I usually stick my posts into Word, like I have just done, to check they are spelt correctly too! 
Joe,
I GET TO RANT. I GET TO BE SARCASTIC. YES!
<Rant>
Have anyone else noticed that language correctness was always at its peak when you where at school? What your 3.grade teacher told you was an is THE TRUTH, no matter if you’re 10 or 100. But language changes and you have the choice of changing the way you speak or not. You can change your language and be cool/infantile and muck those who still say, like, in-so-much-as and stuff, or you can turn new language trend into comedy theater and assert yourself as a true intellectual.
As the bright lady pointed out herself the word “like” can have a lot of different meanings, but saying it isn’t meaningless. Her problem with the word isn’t that it’s confusing or unclear or that there is any other “real” problem with it. The only thing wrong with it is that it is infantile. This is a discussion of esthetics. What it boils down to is “I don’t like the way you speak”. So all you can say to that is, … well, like, whatever.
By the way, they had a perfectly nice language going on in north Germany when some of the less socially adapted Saxons moved into some godforsaken islands in the Atlantic and started changing all the vowels and God knows what else. What the **** was that about? The English language has been in a decline ever since if you ask me. 
</Rant>
What do you mean said two paragraphs? You can’t say a paragraph, unless you are reading it aloud. Did you say it into your microphone? If you are going to criticise Joe for using “speak” out of context (meaning communicate) at least be consistent in your usage of the word “said”. I don’t understand, can you explain that sentence more clearly please gkmac?
I am reminded of a little chant from the time when Latin was commonly taught in schools:
Latin is a dead language, dead as it can be.
First it killed the Romans, and now it’s killing me!
The article Klaas suggested is interesting, and some points cut close to some cultural weaknesses. But languages do change, and the change is more evident at the homeland than overseas. We could have word police, like the French do, or we could try a sanitary language like Esperanto. (Look it up if you haven’t heard of it.) In my neck of the woods, I am more irritated by hip-hop speech than valley talk, but speaking a living language is a great thing!
pardon my dogmatic party-pooping, latin is not a dead language
one of the requirements for a language to be officially declared dead is that it may no longer be the official language of a country
latin is still one of the official languages of the vatican and can therefore not be considered ‘dead’
as for u-turn’s comments regarding the linguistic adult/child barrier, i didn’t get the impression from the article, or the world around me for that matter, that a ‘created’ barrier exists
but, just as some books are described as ‘children’s’ books (dont go down the ‘adult book’ path, it will just complicate issues), i believe an evolutionary barrier of sorts does exists
not created to keep anyone out, it simply developed by itself
as one outgrows the 3chord wonders in the world of music, one eventually outgrows the ‘cat sat on the mat’ style of literature
and with that, your use of the language changes as well
if u want to see that change-over as a ‘barrier’, i guess u could
but i might not agree with u
this whole discussion goes back to reading or the lack of it
long live harry potter!
Ahh it makes more sense with the “ago” on the end. I was only nit-picking anyway. It doesn’t matter as the message (usually) still gets through regardless of our human errors, as proven by the Who complained about spelling on this forum? thread.
there is a big difference between:
- having a language that lives and thus may change
and the versatility of english is marvellous for that
- having people speaking in an unprecise way full of approximations
and english is bad -except for business !-
(other languages being better each in its own domain: diplomacy, technical, litterature,…)
as a computer man I have to translate technical texts into French 
I often call the originator of the english text and tell him that his sentences
are illogical, self-contradictory and/or ambiguous … the terrible thing
is when he does not understand that his text is bad language …
this I call deliquescence not the use of new words, grammatical innovations and so on!
being a frenchman I apply the same police to people that use my documents : I want them to be precise! now if they are poets enough
to invent new words why not?
the same rules apply to artifical languages … for me Esperanto
is a no-hoper but for fun try Europanto!
(any European reading this mail could understand
this site without any training)
bear
Why couldn’t a language be the official language of a country.?If I come up with a new language why coudn’t some country use it as an official language? Or did you mean that a language can be declared dead when it isn’t an official language in any country? This brings me to another question. Is esperanto an official language in some country. Or could it be declared dead too?
I’m reading the book Timeline, and geez people mispronounced stuff back then!!! I suppose that it was correct at that time, but not now.
In the book, they had to listen to tapes playing of people talking in Old English. Here’s some of it:
Give me my hat: Yiff may mean haht.
Here is your hat: Hair baye thynhatt.
Thank you: Grah mertsy.
You’re welcome: Ayepray thee.
I am cold: Ayeam chillingcold.
I would rather have a hat: Ee wolld leifer half a coot.
Where is my sword?: Whar beest mee swearde?
INSANE, or what?
There may not be much classical Latin and Greek spoken anymore but both live on within the prefixes, roots, and suffixes of a good portion of language.
Back in my college days I was hard pressed to get sufficient credits for Humanities. I liked Natural Sciences but just couldn’t get excited about Humanities. I ended up taking two classes: Latin and Greek in Scientific Useage & Latin and Greek in Everyday Useage. I found both extremely fascinating.
Duh sanctioned for scrabble
The word ‘duh’ (which I learned on this forum) is sanctioned for scrabble.
Oh and by the way James, I missed your old English post the first time around. The funny thing is that the changes from English to Old English (yes I realise it went the other way) moves it closer to Dutch. It just reveals a common origin I guess.
Klaas Bil
Re: Duh sanctioned for scrabble
What about Homer Simpson’s “doh”?